Blossoms & Blood
by Peony-princesa
Summary: Iris has a long way to go from little sister of the crown prince's shield to fearsome demon hunter. She's used to being overlooked; to being a footnote in the hero's story. Here is where she carves out a path for herself and forges a destiny of her own choosing.
1. Chapter 1

It was only midday, but the thick, black smoke that boiled upwards, filling the once-pristine air and obliterating the skyline, had plunged Insomnia into a premature nightfall. From her vantage point, safe in the hills outside the Crown City, Iris watched, fallen to her knees, tears streaking through the soot and dirt that caked her face. How had this happened? What could have led to this point, and was there anything she could have done to prevent it? Her mind was overwhelmed by those questions and many others as she witnessed the destruction of her beloved kingdom's Capital. Gripping the weapons that she had let fall from her grasp, Iris swore that she would find her answers and wring vengeance from every enemy that crossed her path from that day until her last day.

Daughter of Clarus Amicitia, shield of king Regis Caelum, and sister to Gladiolus Amicitia, shield of prince Noctis Caelum, Iris came from a family who's men had a duty, and who's women waited patiently; thus, she was used to being left to her own devices. Iris had come to Insomnia several weeks prior to its fall, to spend time with her brother and his companions for the last days of their stay in the Capitol; they'd soon be leaving, Gladiolus (or "Gladdy" as she affectionately called him) and Noctis, along with Ignis Scientia and Prompto Argentum, to take the prince to meet his future bride, Lunafreya Nox Fleuret of Tenebrae, and witness the ceremony that would bring their two nations together for peace. Iris couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness at the thought: not only was her childhood friend, perhaps even her very first friend, leaving to start his new life far away from her, but he was taking her brother with him. She knew that Gladio's life was pledged to the protection of the future king of Lucis; she'd known for many years, and didn't resent that fact. She also knew that this wouldn't be the last she would ever see of them, that wasn't what saddened her; it was the fact that they were now to be separated by the duty that they had all accepted as their destiny. Noctis would be king, Lunafreya his queen, and Gladio their protector; the camaraderie they all once shared would give place to rare, formal audiences and appointments; they weren't kids anymore, and Iris was sorry for it.

After having made sure that her things were brought to her proper living quarters, and making quick work of getting unpacked and settled, Iris surveyed her handiwork with a satisfied smile. "Lady Amicitia" she turned and greeted the attendant at her door with a quick smile and nod "Prince Noctis and his retinue will not be arriving for several hours yet, please inform me if there is anything you require to make your stay more comfortable." Iris smiled again and shook her head "Thank you so much, but I'll be fine until my brother returns with his highness; until then, I think I'll occupy my time reacquainting myself with the grounds, it's been a while since my last visit." "As you wish. my lady" the woman gave her a polite nod and disappeared from the doorway.

Iris spun in a slow circle, giving the room one last look and admiring the order and organization of it all. She knew it wouldn't last long, as much as she wanted to be neat and organized, she wasn't a tidy person by nature, and soon her things would be strewn around the room as she settled in. Not to mention that the guys would most assuredly make themselves as soon as they heard she had arrived, and would no doubt be excited to go through the going away gifts she had brought for them. _"Oh well"_ she thought to herself _"At least I got everything unpacked and put away nicely, that's gotta count for something."_ With a shrug and happy giggle she skipped out of the room and off to poke around the royal gardens.

Several flights of stairs, three long hallways and two courtyards later, Iris stood in the archway entrance of a lush green oasis amidst the vast urban desert that was the Crown City. She loved the Capital with all its bustle and excitement, but her heart belonged in the quiet peacefulness of a garden. The royal garden wasn't what one might expect in a city like Insomnia; instead of closely trimmed hedges, carefully designed terraces, and ostentatious fountains, there rose tall gnarled trees with long drooping bows that formed dense emerald curtains with their hanging vines. Patches of flowers grew in abundant patterns around the trees, providing splashes of vibrant color against the deep verdant backdrop. The site, with its air of mystery and quiet magnificence, was reminiscent of an ancient forest temple where one would go to appeal to the gods of spring, harvest, and the elements; it was as if a piece of another world had been plucked out and placed there in the palace solely for the Lucian king's enjoyment. The most striking sight lay in a far corner of the garden, tucked away behind one of the biggest trees; a small waterfall bubbled out of the top of a tall boulder and cascaded over the smaller rocks below, forming a wide pool at the bottom before flowing out to other areas of the garden. Iris thought about how wonderful it would be to sit under the ancient tree, hidden by its vines and get lost in a favorite book while trailing her toes through the current of the stream. It dawned on her that this would be the perfect way to while away her time until her friends showed up, and she dashed off to her room to choose a book and fulfill her daydream.

Once back in her quarters, Iris tore through the books on her shelf that she had brought along to keep her company. None of her usual novels caught her eye; she didn't feel the need to pursue any fantasy adventures at this point. She remembered the last few times she had gotten caught up in some mystery thriller, and had been so engrossed that she missed dinner and Gladio had come looking for her, worried that she had gotten herself into some kind of scrape. No, she needed something that would hold her attention, but wouldn't make her completely forget about the guys' imminent arrival. Her eyes fell on the survival guide that her older brother had given her the last time they had parted ways; Gladio had been very earnest in his desire for her to study it and learn all she could "You know I'm not going to be around much to teach you these things anymore, Iris" he told her. "There's still a lot you have to learn until you even get close to my level" he teased, lifting his hand to ruffle her hair. At the time she had protested, twisting away and yelling that she knew how to take care of herself in the wild just fine thank you, in fact she probably even had an edge on him because she was much lighter and smaller, and therefore could go where she pleased unnoticed, while he was a damned giant and no doubt created a terrible ruckus, stomping through the woods like a freaking Catoblepas. He had yelled something about her daring to call him fat and his intention to stomp _on her_ like a "freaking Catoblepas" if she didn't apologize immediately; and she'd taken off as fast as she could trying not to choke on her shrieks of laugher. The memory brought a huge grin to her face and she snatched up the thick volume; _"He'll want to quiz me on this stuff and I'm screwed if he finds out I haven't even cracked it yet"_ she thought to herself. " _Well, better get in as much cramming as I can and pray they don't show up for a good few hours."_

She quickly made her way back to the garden and to the giant tree that flanked the waterfall, kicking off her boots and settling in among the roots, close enough to the edge of the stream for her to dip her toes in from time to time. While thumbing through her book to find a section on Bandersnatches (because really, why didn't they have proper faces?), Iris was struck with her situation right in that moment: curled up in the roots of a comforting old tree, its umbrella of vines hiding her from the rest of the world, with a book, a bubbling stream lapping at her feet, and the anticipation of soon seeing her brother and some of her most adored friends. The images brought a rush of joy flooding through her being and was too strong to contain, so she let it out with squeal of laughter as she sprawled on her back, pulling her knees to her chest and kicking her feet in the air frantically while wildly flailing her arms, her hands balled into tight, excited little fists. Iris' little tantrum of happiness was brought to an abrupt halt when she heard a noise that sounded like a desperately suppressed combination of a cough and a stifled snort of laughter. She froze for half an instant before sitting bolt upright, looking around wildly for the source of the sound; not seeing anyone in her immediate vicinity, she peered through the thick screen of hanging vines surrounding her, slowly scanning the area. She swept her line of sight from left to right, not finding anything of note until her gaze encountered that of a pair of silvery grey eyes that stared back at her with cool indifference. Her second shock came when she recognized the face those eyes belonged to; there was no mistaking the chiseled jaw line, ashen hair and thin lips that always seemed ready to curl up into a disdainful sneer: Ravus Nos Fleuret, High Commander of Niflheim's forces, and brother to Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, Prince Noctis' intended bride. Iris scrambled to her feet, shoes and book forgotten as they stood there staring at each other, her uncertain with an underlying sense of distrust, and he, aloof and only mildly interested.

Ravus seemed to sense her unease, and, after a moment, relaxed his gaze and assumed what Iris surmised to be an attempt at a friendly smile, but turned out more like a sarcastic smirk. "You must be of the Amicitia clan" he spoke, with no attempt to hide the amusement in his voice "Dark hair, equally dark eyes: passionate with a tendency for impulsiveness. You're a carbon copy of your older brother, but with fewer scars, and more...compact. Lady Iris, come to the Citadel to see your brother and his charges off on their adventure." Iris had felt her nose start to wrinkle up in annoyance at his presumptuous, but when he made the remark about Gladiolus' "charges" she laughed outright. "Charges?! You say it like Gladio is their babysitter or something, they're ALL Noct's bodyguards, and they're all very capable. Noct can take care of himself pretty well even without them, you know." she retorted, feeling the heat of her offended feelings rising up her back and around her collar. His facial expression shifted instantly as the prince's name left her lips. "Ah yes, our dear prince Noctis, the future king of Lucis: chosen one, favored by the gods and savior of all human kind." He spat the words out, a look of contempt overshadowing his handsome and previously apathetic visage. "If he possessed the slightest awareness of what it truly means to be king, he would not even think of allowing others to risk their lives for the sake of his throne." Iris stared at him, taken aback at the ire that had so suddenly flashed out of him; she knew that Ravus held great resentment toward Noctis, and his father king Regis especially, because of the death of Ravus' mother and his and Luna's subsequent imprisonment in Niflheim. It was true that Regis had abandoned the Nox Fleurets to their fate in order to save Noctis from capture, and Iris had always sympathized with the family since she heard the story from a young age; it couldn't have been easy getting torn from one's naive land and growing up parentless as hostages to a foreign country.

Ravus held Iris' gaze for several moments before turning abruptly on his heel and striding out of the garden without another word. Iris picked up her survival guide from where it lay on the grass and dusted it off, her appetite for learning greatly reduced from when she first entered the garden moments before. She had always assumed that the reason Ravus had become an officer of the Nifleheim empire was because he'd had no other choice; after spending a large portion of his life as their prisoner, what other options did he have? But now, after having spoken to him, Iris was worried. It was clear that he bore serious resentment toward the Caelum family, and the intensity in his words had left her with a sense of unease. Could it be that Ravus had actively pursued his position with a motive of revenge for the misfortunes that had befallen his family? The idea was so unpleasant that Iris pushed it to the back of her mind, she didn't want to think about that possibility, she wanted to think about the fact that she would be seeing the guys soon and how much they all had to catch up on.

Strolling back to her room, lost in thought, Iris was taken by surprise when a hand landed on her shoulder and a rambunctious Prompto burst through her bubble of concentration, like an adolescent golden retriever romping through a meadow of dandelions. "Iris!" he yelled "You're here! What time did you arrive? Have you been waiting on us very long?" A mischievous grin cracked Iris' face as she grabbed the hand that Prompto had laid on her shoulder; in a smooth and lightning fast maneuver, she spun and ducked beneath it, then pulled hard, the added momentum with just the kick she needed to spring herself up and onto his back, clutching her legs around his middle, and arms encircled his neck as her shout of "Little big bro!" rang out. It was now Prompto's turn to be taken completely off guard, and he almost let it take him out as he staggered, almost making an additional casualty of Ignis who was standing too close by to effectively duck out of the way; fortunately, Prompto rallied with a few quick compensatory steps, and then a wide grin replaced his shocked expression as the potential of their new position of power dawned on him. Tucking his arms tightly around Iris' legs, he planted his feet and dropped into a slight crouch before yelling "We can totally take Gladio out like this!" at which point he took off straight for Gladiolus. Iris let out a peal of laughter and held on tight as they charged at her brother, sticking her feet out in front in preparation to aim a sweeping kick at him when she got a clear opportunity. Gladio's eyes widened and he lifted an arm defensively, shouting "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" as he started to hop-step backward, formulating a plan of defense for the coming onslaught. Prompto bobbed and wove as he came at Gladio, jumping into a spin upon arrival, enabling Iris to lash her foot out at Gladio's stomach, while Prompto would reach out a back handed fist at his sternum at the same time, in hope of stunning Gladio or making him fall on his ass trying to avoid it. Their ambush would have worked out beautifully had they pitted themselves against anyone other than Gladiolus Amicitia; there was a reason that Gladio had been chosen to be Noctis' shield, and it was not because he could be taken down by his kid sister and a novice bodyguard. At the last second he neatly stepped aside and turned his body in the opposite direction, hooking an arm around his sister's waist, the force behind her and Prompto effectively yanking her off his back, while with the other hand, Gladio grabbed the boy by the back of his collar and hauled him into the air, expertly incapacitating them both.

"You little punks think you can take me down that easily?" he roared, tucking Iris under one arm and Prompto under the other and beginning to spin them around in circles, making as if to launch them into the air; "Time to bring the pain!" he yelled. Prompto and Iris had immediately set about kicking and wriggling, trying to escape Gladio's clutches; "Put me down, Gladdy!" Iris hollered, "Everyone knows we weren't actually trying to hurt you!". Prompto had started to take on a sickly shade of green as Gladio continued to spin them around his body, "C'mon big guy!" he groaned, "Give us a rest, will ya? We're sorry! I'm gonna puke any second!". Gladio didn't seem inclined to comply with their pleas, and continued to spin them until Ignis intervened. "Come now, Gladio, I think you made your point, they seem to have suffered enough. Wouldn't you say, Noct?" he asked, turning to the prince. "Oh I don't know" Noctis replied, doing his best to hide the smirk that threatened to break is normally stoic demeanor; "I'm sure he's teaching them some kind of valuable lesson; Gladio has a good reason for everything he does, probably toughening them up or something". Noctis almost lost it upon seeing the deeply offended look Prompto threw his way as he sailed by, "Nooooct!" both he and Iris wailed despairingly.

Noctis finally broke into a chuckle, shaking his head in amusement; "Alright, fine. Put em down, Gladio, let's get inside, I just realized I'm starving, anyway." "Ah. I suppose that leaves lady Iris and myself to fulfill that demand." Ignis remarked amusedly. "Oh yes, absolutely!" Iris chirped, staggering to her feet after Gladio had very ungently released them "What do feel like eating, Noct?" "Yeah, go ahead and ask his highness what he wants first, don't even take a thought for what your brother might like." Gladio grumbled under his breath. "Hush, Gladdy, I haven't forgotten about you throwing me around like a sack of potatoes, so you'll be happy with whatever Iggy and I make for you!" She retorted before turning her gaze to Noctis and beaming at him expectantly. "U-um, well, I'm not sure" Noctis replied, sheepishly noting Gladio's pouting. "Whatever you made the other day Iggy, that was great". "Whatever I made the other day"" Ignis repeated back with a raised eyebrow. "Very specific, that; must have left an enormous impression to be remembered as "whatever I made the other day". "Oh come on, Iggy." Noctis pleaded. "It was really good, you made it with some of the fish I caught when we went out last week. You made it on the camp grill and decorated it with some green stuff." Ignis threw his hands in the air in exaggerated frustration "A truly cultured future king we have here" he groaned "Such a talent for eloquent description. "Green stuff" indeed! Fortunately for you, I do remember that dish, it was the wild Barramundi, and it is quite easy to replicate. Iris will make an excellent sous chef, so you all run along and bring in the rest of our luggage. It will be wonderful to actually have competent culinary help for once." He stared pointedly at all of them as he uttered his last statement before turning on his heel and heading for the kitchens, motioning for Iris to accompany him. She had been silently giggling behind her hand as Ignis was scolding the guys, and she finally let out her laughter as he walked off, and quickly took off after him.


	2. Chapter 2

Iris spent the next few days happily rambling about with the guys as they prepared for their upcoming journey; it became her favorite pastime to spend hours in the kitchens helping Ignis design meal plans to put in the cookbook he was making for the journey. He was meticulous about nutrition content meeting the needs of the entire group and made sure everyone got what they needed: plenty of protein to supply Gladio's considerable metabolism; iron-rich meats and greens for Noctis, who leaned a little toward the anemic; and finally, plenty of potatoes and breads for Prompto, who needed the instant energy of the carbohydrates, with extra fat content to keep his ridiculous appetite at bay. Ignis devised the right serving size of each food group that each of them needed, and selected different ingredients that fulfilled those needs, so they could easily make substitutions, depending on what kinds of foods were available. Iris helped measure, recording, prep, and taste test every recipe he made; while nutrition content was his highest priority, Ignis took pride in the flavors of his dishes, and refused to settle for anything less than delicious, and Iris was always eager to try another of his new creations. She was learning a lot from him, too.

Before then, she'd only had a basic knowledge of cookery; she could adequately feed herself, and a small group if she needed to, but under Ignis' expert eye, she learned to look at food as more than just fuel for the body. Ignis taught her that the right dish could change the mood of the whole group; along with any dish with lots of meat, cup noodles were Gladio's favorite, a fact that made Ignis shake his head in amused disgust, but it never failed to make Gladio happy, and when he was in a good mood, he took an easier pace and kept the party laughing for hours. When Prompto got the foods he liked best, he tended to be more helpful, and complained less. While Noctis was more of the taciturn type in general, he really liked it when Ignis cooked whatever fish he had recently caught, and would help him prepare it, asking questions and taking an interest in cooking like he never did otherwise. Iris found that while she also liked the protein-packed dishes that her older brother loved, she was more like Ignis when it came to her palate preferences; they both loved sweets and desserts, making it a goal to try a new cake or pie or other dessert recipe for every day they had left until the departure.

On one particular day, Iris had headed back to her room after breakfast to retrieve her apron before heading to the kitchen to spend the day with Ignis, trying to perfect the art of the soufflé. They'd tried several times before, but the beautiful dessert had collapsed pitifully every time they took it from the oven. Both were so determined to get it right, that they had set aside a whole day in which to finally master it. Ignis had decided that their failure was likely due to only doing one soufflé at a time; they needed to do it over and over and over again until they made it perfectly he said. Iris had no complaints, she had grown to love the time she was spending in the kitchens, and Ignis, being the future king's advisor and strategist, had no end of interesting stories to tell. The two of them spent the next few hours happily chatting over this and that while bustling about the kitchen, cutting, mixing, measuring, and tasting. For a while now, Iris had been wanting to ask about relations between Lucis and the Empire, but every time she and Ignis had the kitchen to themselves, she hadn't wanted to bring down the mood with such serious conversation; now she realized that the day of their departure was coming closer, and if she was going to ask, it had better be soon.

Iris took her opportunity during a lull in their conversation while he was concentrating on a lemon verbena soufflé recipe that they had chosen to try that day. "Hey Iggy?" she asked as she measured pastry flour into a mixing bowl "Can I ask you something?" "Of course" he answered, eyes still glued to the page "Hand me that grater, will you? This recipe calls for an ounce of lemon zest so I'd better get started on that first." Iris set down her mixing bowl and fished two grating tools out of a drawer, handing him one, and climbing up onto the stool next to him. "Why is general Ravus here in the Citadel?" She grabbed a lemon out of the basket on the counter and began gently grating away at its skin and in doing so, allowing its oil to waft into the air, filling the room with its fragrance. "Well," he began, pushing his glasses higher on the bridge of his nose with a long index finger, "I imagine he's here for the negotiations between Lucis and Nifleheim. No doubt he wants to be informed about every aspect of the proceedings for the marriage of the only family member he has left. His sister's safety is his utmost priority and I'm sure he wants to ensure that everything goes according to plan; whether he's happy about the arrangement or not." "Iggy..." She asked hesitantly, unsure of how to proceed "Does Noct really love Luna? Is he really excited about marrying her? Are they going to be happy together?"

Ignis looked up from his work and studied her face for a moment, a small, knowing smile forming as he came to understand the meaning behind her question. "Noctis and Lunafreya were very close as children," he explained "That friendship is very important to him, and she reminds him of a happier, more simple time in his life. I suspect those memories are the driving force behind his desire to be reunited with her. Though the thing you mean when you say "love" is not something that the prince has the luxury of finding and pursuing at his own pace. Those two are bound by their duty to Lucis and so must fulfill that obligation; making the best of an inescapable situation makes that reality easier to live with." "I see" Iris said quietly. She scraped the shredded lemon skin off of the grater and onto the dish Ignis was using for his. " _I suppose it's for the best"_ she thought, gathering up the lemons that they had taken the zest from, and cutting them in half so she could squeeze out the juice, " _Noct is doing what he has to do."_ The more she thought about it, the tighter her jaw set, determination growing, _"He's doing this for all of us, and I'm going to do my best to make his path as easy as I can._ " Encouraged by this resolve, she felt the weight of worry lift from her heart.

Iris shook off the emotion of the moment and grabbed a stick of butter, running it around the inside of the pan intended for the soufflé, "I hope this one turns out" she remarked, sprinkling flour across the greased surface "it would be really nice of the guys could try it, they always like tasting our new creations. Have you figured out what's been going wrong with our technique?" Ignis had taken the dish from her and was very carefully folding whipped egg whites into the lemon verbena mixture he had just prepared; he paused for a moment to look up "I believe we haven't been gentle enough with the egg white, and that's why they've been collapsing so badly. A soft, patient touch is all they need." he turned back to his egg whites as Iris turned away to hide a guilty smirk. It was nice of him to say "we" when they both knew damn well that up until that point it had been her who had the job of mixing the egg whites into the batter, and that, while she loved cooking and had become quite skilled, she was impatient and liked to improvise with flavors and ingredients. This normally wasn't a problem, as it resulted in delicious and exciting dishes, but this was baking; the science of exact measurements and proportions was vital to success and, more often than not, she didn't have the patience to follow through. "Sorry" she laughed, I know I need to be more careful and precise with my baking, it's just so hard!" "Yes, measuring flour and separating eggs is nowhere near as thrilling as trying to make a curry spicy enough to make your brother shed tears, but I know you appreciate the results."

He straightened up and, after giving her a sideways glance, sighed and held out the spoon he had used to mix the batter of lemon, sugar, flour and egg yolk, "I know you're going to protest if I wash it without at least making the offer." Iris clapped her hands together gleefully and snatched the spoon out of his grasp "Yes! You're getting it, Iggy!" She squealed, immediately swiping a finger across the spoon and sticking it in her mouth. "Yes, well I believe this is ready, shall we find out if I was correct in my assumption that your heretofore eagerness was the cause of our failure?" he teased. Iris jumped up to hold the oven door open for him and he set the pan into the water bath they had already placed in the oven "Alright! All we do now is wait. Think we can get this place cleaned up in the time it takes to bake?" "Probably." he answered "Though I sometimes wonder at the point of cleaning at all when we both know the others will be stampeding through here once they're aware of a possible tasting opportunity". "They do tend to eat everything in sight when they visit the kitchen, regardless of whether it's for a meal or not" Iris laughed.

True to form, Gladiolus, Prompto and Noctis had each miraculously made their way to the kitchen by the time the soufflé was ready to be taken out of the oven. Prompto had been the first to show up; the constant stream of communication that he and Iris kept going at all times via text and various other social media outlets had informed him of their culinary pursuits days before, and despite not being sure of the exact nature of this "soufflé", he was always eager to taste whatever they made and offer up an opinion. Gladio and Noctis, who undoubtedly heard of the project from Prompto, had, by the look of their sweat drenched clothes and scuffed fists, cut Noctis' combat training short to join in the experience. They all drew stools up to the island in the middle of the kitchen and waited expectantly as Ignis drew the soufflé out of the oven and set it on a rack to cool. "So, uh, what is that exactly?" Gladio asked, squinting at the confection doubtfully. "Looks like a weird cake, why all the fuss about making it?" Ignis sighed and Iris rolled her eyes dramatically "Of course you wouldn't appreciate this level of culinary artistry, Gladdy, your idea of "fine dining" is putting weird meat in your cup noodles." she retorted, glaring at him, from across the island. At this, Prompto had burst out cackling, slapped his knee, and pointed at Gladio as he did so, declaring between fits of laughter that Iris was right about Gladio's lack of discerning taste.

Noctis had snapped to attention as soon as Iris had set her hands on her hips and planted her feet in her signature "power" stance and fixed Gladio with an aggressive stare; he glanced expectantly from one to the other, eagerly awaiting the throw-down that inevitably happened after one of the Amicitia siblings irked the other in a way that lay outside their normal range of playfulness. Ignis had also noticed the mood shifting in a hostile direction, and quickly took it upon himself to diffuse the situation before it actually tuned into something. "Prompto, would you be so kind as to set a few plate settings out? I believe this soufflé is ready to be served. We will have our taste test, and then the two of you can decide whether a dessert is truly worth brawling over." He emphasized the weight of his words with a stern look at each of them before moving back to inspect their creation. "Iris, come here and observe our success!" He cried out triumphantly, "Ten minutes out of the oven, and it has yet to show any signs of sinking or collapse. I believe we've finally been successful!" Iris had immediately dashed to his side, and, seeing that he was right, let out a shout of "YES!" as she clasped her hands together and danced in joyful circles around the kitchen. Noctis and Co., having no idea what there was to be celebrating, just looked on interestedly, with Prompto letting out a supportive "Yaaaaayyyyy...".

"Alright everyone" Iris called out once she had finished her victory dance and composed herself somewhat "It's time for the real test!" She passed out plates of the dessert, while Ignis brought around a sauce to pour over the top. "What we have here is a lemon verbena soufflé, with powdered sugar and a raspberry reduction drizzled over the top" he announced as they all prepared to dig into the pretty confection. "Wow!" Prompto marveled between bites, "I can taste all the flavors that you mentioned, but, like, there's so much more to it! Verbena though? No idea what that is, but I think this weird cake is my new favorite thing, what do you think, Noct?" "Oh. Yeah!" Noctis finally chimed in after several pokes to the ribs from Prompto. "It's, uh, it's really great you guys, I'm impressed, you did an awesome job." Iris felt like her cheeks were going to cramp, she was smiling so hard "Thank you, Noct! That means so much coming from you!" She cried, clasping her hands together and bouncing around in a circle.

Gladio broke his silence with a chuckle and stood up with his empty plate "Sounds like you made my baby sister's day, Noct." He reached out and ruffled a hand through Iris' hair "Compliments from a future king, doesn't get better than that." Normally one to bristle at Gladio's teasing her about her obvious crush, Iris simply smiled sweetly "I haven't heard your final thoughts, Gladdy. You had plenty to say before you tried our dessert, what do you think now?" "Well," he responded thoughtfully "It's still weird. But in a good way. I definitely wouldn't complain if a piece made its way into my rucksack next to my noodles sometime." "Don't count on that once we're out on the road" Ignis interjected "Room will be limited on our journey, so choose your luxuries wisely. I hope you aren't getting too used to civilized comforts, living here in the Citadel" He added the last sentence with a barely visible smirk, knowing it would needle Gladio's pride to have his survival abilities questioned. "Yeah, I think I know a thing or two about roughing it, Iggy." He stated dryly as he made for the kitchen door "Who's the uncontested survival expert here, hmm? This guy" He turned as he said it, pointing both thumbs toward his chest. "Speaking of survival, we cut your training short to come taste sweets, your highness, skipping lessons won't keep you alive out there when you run into trouble and I'm not there to save your ass." Gladio jerked his thumbs in a backward motion over his shoulders as he walked backwards toward the door "Time to get back out there. You too, Prompto."

"I believe I will join you after we're done cleaning up in here." Ignis called after them. "We reached success sooner than I imagined we would, and I'd like to get as much practice in as possible before we depart for Altissia." "Oh, go on, Iggy." Iris told him. "I can finish up in here." "No, I can't leave you alone with such a task." He objected, "We started this venture together, and I won't make you pick up after us on your own." She laughed happily "No no, it's fine! We got most of the cleaning done before the guys even got here, so there's really not much to do. Go on ahead and I'll join you all in a bit." "Well, I suppose when you put it that way" he answered, reluctantly untying his apron. "If you are sure, and you're coming to train with us right after..."He trailed off half expectantly, half still hesitant to abandon her to finish cleaning. "Absolutely! I just have a thing or two I want to do and I'll be right behind you." "Very well, I shall see you in the dojo shortly" he replied as he bounded up the two steps that led out of the kitchen.

Iris was happy to have the quiet kitchen to herself; she liked being able to take her time putting each dish and tool in its place and wiping down all the surfaces until they gleamed. She might be messy and disorganized with her own belongings, but when it came to shared spaces, she was meticulous about keeping things flawlessly clean. Iris surveyed the dish that had once held her and Ignis' perfect soufflé; one large piece remained, and she contemplated what to do with it. It seemed a shame to put a single piece away by itself, and, as delicious as it was, she had zero desire to eat another whole piece herself. She knew what she _wanted_ to do with it, but she hesitated, wondering if such things were proper, or even a good idea. She shook her head as if to chase away her doubt and solidify her determination; high commander Ravus was an imposing man, and she was still left with feelings of apprehension from the conversation they had the first time they'd been in each other's presence, but she had a feeling about him. He was far away from his homeland, and all he had as far as family, would soon be leaving him for someone who he saw as the reason for his family being torn apart. Iris felt a twinge of compassion for the man, she couldn't imagine the hardship that must come from being in his situation and she wanted to make a gesture of friendliness; even if he rebuffed it, or completely ignored it, it would weigh on her conscience until she did something about it.

Iris carefully plated the dessert, making it as visually appealing as she could, drizzling the sauce and dusting the powdered sugar over it with care, even adding some beautiful fresh raspberries for a final touch. She boxed up the dessert to ensure no one would be able to determine its contents from the outside, and wrote a small note that she placed just inside. It read:

 _"Lord Ravus, I hope this finds you well; I was experimenting in the kitchen a bit today and I thought you might like to taste the results."_

She included a description of the dessert and signed it simply "Iris". After neatly tying up the package with a standard black ribbon, she left the kitchen and made her way toward where she felt it most likely Ravus would be. It always seemed that the Nifleheim guards were more concentrated closer to the northern wing of the palace, and she kicked herself for not paying closer attention on previous occasions where she had seen them. Sure enough, she passed an imperial guard in a northeast corridor; she'd be lying if she didn't acknowledge that they unnerved her to a certain degree. They never looked the slightest bit friendly; which Iris knew wasn't strange, Lucis had fragile relationship with the Empire, and everyone was slightly tense around each other, but it was their cold arrogance that really bothered her. The way they looked around like they were soon to own the place, and were merely waiting for the right time to declare it made her uncomfortable. She passed another guard and was starting to lose her resolve; maybe this wasn't a good idea, maybe Ravus wouldn't take her gesture the way she meant it; maybe he'd take offense and then she'd really be in an awkward situation. It was right at that moment that Iris spotted a servant she recognized heading at a tangent in the same direction as she was. She waved and caught the woman's attention; it looked like she was already bringing food to this part of the palace, and Iris was certain that the woman would know where Ravus took his meals; perhaps she wouldn't mind taking Iris' errand over for her.

"Maggie!" she said with a winning smile "Where are you heading? To lord Ravus' rooms?" The other woman had smiled brightly when she saw Iris and had hurried right over. "Yes, lady Iris, he prefers to eat his meals a bit earlier than everyone else, so he is first on my list. What are you doing in this area of the palace, miss? I can't imagine that there would be anything to catch your interest." Iris always made it a point to be friendly with the staff at the palace, and she quickly became a favorite with all of them. "Well, you see Maggie, I'm afraid I offended Lord Ravus with something I said the first day I got here" Iris lied. "I ran into him in the gardens, and we had some words over a sensitive subject, and I was rash and spoke without thinking. I was hoping to present him with a peace offering, but I don't know exactly where to go, and in all honesty, I've lost my nerve. Would you be an absolute gem, and take it for me?" She pleaded. She knew she didn't have to lie to the woman; she wouldn't think less of her for the gesture of friendship, but Iris didn't want it to give off a sense of camaraderie. Ravus was on the wrong side, and even though there was a great deal of effort put in to make it appear that the Empire was there on friendly terms, she knew no one was truly comfortable with the situation, and she preferred it be perceived that she was playing her part and nothing more. Maggie listened amusedly to Iris' story and laughed, shaking her head as she got to the end. "You truly are an Amicitia; hot tempered and brash, just like your father and brother. I've witnessed both of them have to make amends for things they said in the heat of the moment. It seems that you have more humility than they do at least. Of course I'll take your gift to lord Ravus, is there anything you'd like me to say when I do?" "No, no. I put a note inside, no need for you to worry about anything. Thank you so much, Maggie! I feel like such a coward not having the courage to do it myself." "Never mind about that." Maggie replied happily "I completely understand; this is an uncomfortable area of the palace to be in right now, especially if one doesn't know their way around. Don't worry, I'll see that he gets it." With that she wept off down the hall and Iris took off for the training grounds, happy to be free of her errand and looking forward to a good round of sparring with the guys.


	3. Chapter 3

Several days passed, and Iris more or less forgot about her gift to Ravus; the day of her friends' departure was only two more days away, and she wanted to make as much out of their remaining time as she could. She'd increased her formerly sporadic sparring sessions with Gladio to two hours every day, sometimes twice a day; he didn't want to leave her with any gaps in her training, and had recently started insisting on going over her form again and again, not letting her rest until she was perfect. Iris knew Gladio was feeling the urgency of his upcoming departure; that soon his sole responsibility would be ensuring Noctis' safety, and he wouldn't be able to teach her anymore. He placed his strongest emphasis on her speed and agility; she didn't have the benefit of size that he did and most opponents she would face were going to be much larger than her, so she would need to be able to strike hard and evade quickly in order to ensure her victory, and therefore, survival.

Normally, Gladio insisted on hitting the mats first thing in the morning, sometimes before dawn, and always before breakfast (he claimed that a full stomach weighed you down, and fighting hungry made the mind sharper). On this particular day, Iris overslept, and had had to rouse herself in a sleep-addled haze, throwing her clothes on as quickly as possible and almost completely neglecting her usual grooming routine. Iris in no way feared her older brother, but he was almost insufferable any time he was made to be kept waiting, and would constantly make snide little comments about it until they'd had breakfast; the irony of which was not lost on Iris, as she herself could become irate with almost no provocation if she'd gone any extended period of time without eating, and therefore loathed Gladio's early training times.

As she was rushing to reach the dojo before incurring Gladio's wrathful nitpicking, Iris decided to cut through a different area of the palace in an attempt to whittle her path down by a few seconds. The "shortcut" she chose just so happened to run closer to the Empire-occupied southeast wing, which was the entire reason she took her usual, longer, route, and she internally begged for it to remain vacant while she made her way through it. Just as she was reaching the end of the last corridor in the "danger" zone, she heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway ahead that ran perpendicular to her current path; they were definitely soldiers, a small group of two or three and most likely imperials, based on the location; she could tell this by the frequency of the steps and the heavy clank they made every time their feet hit the ground. Stopping short and pressing herself to the wall, she listened closely to determine if they were growing closer or retreating; the stone walls causing the sound to echo, making it even harder to know for sure. Iris realized too late that the footsteps were close. _Very_ close. They were almost right on top of her, all she could do was press herself to the wall as tightly as possible and mentally beg for them not to turn down her hallway.

Barely a half-second later, they came into view; two imperial guards just as she suspected, passed her doorway and continued onward, causing her heart to immediately start coming down from where it had wedged itself in her throat. Her relief was premature; not three steps behind the guards, Ravus strode purposefully into her line of sight. Outfitted in his usual high commander uniform, he looked as imposing as ever, the early morning light glinting off the metal embellishments of his outer coat. Iris shrank still further against the wall, if that were even possible at this point, and redoubled her prayers of not being discovered. She had run out of luck this time however, because almost in the same instant that Iris started begging to not be found, Ravus had cast his gaze to his right and spotted her, her attempts at concealment failing miserably.

Iris was desperately hoping that Ravus would ignore her and continue with his men to wherever they were heading, but her hopes were dashed as he called out to his guards, who had just disappeared from her view. She was just about to turn tail and run when, after a few words from their commander, guards continued on their path and left Ravus right in front of Iris' doorway. He turned, stepped into her hallway and greeted her "lady Iris, you're up quite early. To what do I owe this unexpected pleasure?" His mouth didn't smile, but Iris was sure that she detected a certain amount of lightness in his eyes that denoted a favorable mood, and it put her more at ease; at least as much ease as it was possible to do, given the most recent events. "Hello lord Ravus, how are you?" She asked, trying to match his attitude of easy seriousness. "I'm just heading to the dojo to meet my brother, we spar every morning around this time, except that I slept too much today and I was trying to avoid getting a lecture for being late, so I cut through here." She wouldn't usually be this forthright with someone she knew as little as she knew Ravus, but for some reason, her guard didn't snap into place with him like it did with most people, and that bothered her a little. "He is trying to teach you as much as he can while you're still together; good, that's exactly what I would do in his position." he replied. Iris' brain did a little double-take at his words " _Good'? Why would he care about my training? Maybe he's missing Luna; he probably wishes he could have taught her things like Gladdy is teaching me."_

She was about to make a comment about how much she appreciated having Gladiolus as a teacher, when Ravus, after giving her a quick once-over, cocked his head to the side "Without a weapon?" He asked "I would think an Amicitia would never want to be separated from her weapon of choice; even if it was as close as the dojo." This was an obvious observation, she knew how strange it must look for a member of a family of king's guardians to not be carrying some form of weapon at all times. "I haven't chosen one yet" she replied, clasping her hands behind her back "Gladdy's always insisted on building my physical strengths and abilities without one; I've trained with a lot of different types of blades and guns, but I haven't had any one particular weapon speak to me yet." She felt rather sheepish saying it; she knew she should have been able to choose a weapon that suited her best, but she'd been hesitant to make the commitment.

Iris had always hated making permanent decisions, and she knew that once made her choice, it would be unwise to change it; mediocre experience with many different weapons couldn't compare to expert knowledge of one or two. "I see." Ravus answered thoughtfully, his gaze focusing somewhere beyond Iris, making her think that he hadn't actually heard what she said. He stood there thinking for a moment and then brought his attention back to her, "I wanted to thank you for the little gift you sent me last week; as it happens, I wasn't having the best day, and your dessert brought a smile to my face. Luna used to bake cupcakes when we were small, lemon is my favorite and she would always save me one. Your gift reminded me of that and I'm grateful." He turned to leave, taking a few strides and then pausing to look back at her over his shoulder "I wish you luck on selecting a weapon, Iris Amicitia, I'm sure you'll make a fine choice. And, should you ever find yourself with extra cake on your hands again, I would not turn it down." He gave her the ghost of a smile and was gone, leaving Iris feeling a strange kind of happiness welling up in a small, innermost corner of her heart. She hurried off to her lessons, slightly less worried about what Gladio would say about her lateness.

Everyone was off their game at the dojo that day; hardly an hour in, Noctis couldn't stop yawning, and barely made an effort to even appear interested in perfecting the series of dodges, parries, and lunges that Gladio had spent the last six weeks teaching him; Prompto had given up his target practice after a lackluster performance, and had thrown himself down on a mat next to Iris, who was still sprawled where Gladio had thrown her for the billionth time. Even Ignis seemed distracted, the accuracy of his knife throwing was abysmal compared to his usual flawless record. "What is wrong with you slackers today?!" Gladio finally yelled in frustration after Noct had failed to properly block a blow the fourth time after Gladio had explained it to him. "Not a single one of you is giving me half a shit of effort today, what the hell?" Noctis shrugged "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm bored. We've been training at breakneck speed ever since this trip was arranged, and I'm tired of it. I wanna do something else."

The room fell awkwardly silent as everyone else eyed the pair; no one wanting to irritate Gladio further by admitting that they were all feeling burned out. "Is that so?" Gladio asked, with a raised eyebrow "And what would you rather be doing, your majesty?" He crossed his arms in front of him and fixed the prince with an annoyed glare. Noctis returned his stare for a moment and then sighed, shaking his head. "I wanna do something fun. We're leaving in just two days, these are some of the last times we can all be together as friends, I want to make the most of it before we have to face our responsibilities; before it's too late for it to be just us anymore." Gladio visibly relaxed, his stance becoming more thoughtful than confrontational, while everyone else perked up at Noctis' words; he was right, they were all on edge about the upcoming journey, and unsure how the events it entailed would affect them, both individually, and as friends.

Iris jumped to her feet and clapped her hands together "Noct is right!" She sang out "We need to make memories while we can! Let's go camping in the gardens; I won't be able to go with you when you leave here, so I think it would be fun to pretend that I'm along for the ride. What do you say?" She looked around the group excitedly, waiting for their input. Prompto was on board immediately "Hell yeah!" he cried, pumping his fist in the air "We can try out all our new camping equipment, and see how it all works! Plus I can get some stellar photos of all of us, too!" Ignis stroked his chin thoughtfully "Now that I think of it, it would be quite advantageous to familiarize myself with my new culinary setup before our actual departure." They all turned to Gladio expectantly, waiting for him to weigh in on the idea. He shifted his weight, keeping his arms crossed over his chest as he cast his gaze from one of his friends to the next "Of all the crazy shit you could get into, you guys really want to do something tame like camping?" he snorted "Bunch of kids!" "Yeah!" Noctis answered, a smile spreading across his face "We've always been kids together. Let's do all the kid stuff we can while we're still allowed to." "That's the spirit!" Prompto yelled gleefully "Everyone go grab your gear, we'll meet back up in the gardens to make camp."

It only took about twenty minutes for them to assemble their respective camping packs and meet back up in the royal gardens, settling on a spot not far from where Iris had been curled up with her book a little more than a week before. It was about midday when they descended on the quiet meadow, and Iris and Ignis had quickly set about putting together a comfortable cooking environment; they knew that once the others had finished making camp, they would come prowling around, looking to eat anything they could get their hands on. Cup noodles were definitely the easiest option, and would make Gladio happy, but Ignis usually added another dish to round out the meal, and Iris insisted it be a side of spicy long bone rib steak. Rib steak was one of Prompto's favorites, and Iris loved seeing how happy he got when they cooked special food for him.

After everyone was well fed, and Prompto and Gladio had finished washing everyone's dishes as punishment for nearly coming to blows over the last piece of rib steak, they all settled in around their fold up dinner table; a happy state of contentment temporarily banishing the cares of the day while they chattered away about everything but responsibility. "So...anyone up for a game of King's Knight?" Prompto interjected during a lull in the conversation. Gladio frowned "You punks never take your roles seriously." He grumbled. He made a nice show of feigning disinterest, but Iris knew he loved the game as much as Prompto and Noct, and was incredibly meticulous about his strategies and staying true to his character's nature. "Oh come on, we'll be super serious this time!" Prompto begged "Iggy will keep us in line, no messing around!" Ignis pushed his glasses up on the bridge of his nose with one gloved finger "I thought you didn't want me to narrate anymore." He replied, giving Prompto a long stare. "Something about 'always sending us on bullshit missions.' " Prompto threw his hands in the air in dramatic exasperation "I wasn't wrong though! You like sending us into impossible situations and sitting back to watch the chaos!"

Ignis waved his hand airily "I merely give you the opportunity to hone your decision-making skills. You'll face much more dangerous and difficult situations in the real world; if you're able to remain calm and make well thought out, strategized decisions in the blink of an eye, your chance of survival is greatly increased." "Why does everything need to be a lesson?!" Prompto shouted "We're out here to have a good time and not worry about 'adult stuff' so will you lighten up and let us have some fun?" He stood facing the older man with his hands on his hips and his shoulders drawn up aggressively, his lower lip jutting out in an angry pout. Ignis sighed "I suppose that, in lieu of the current circumstances the training can be foregone in this instance." They all waited amusedly until Prompto finished his victory dance, and gathered around the camp table, settling in for a long, fun afternoon.

Hours later, when night had come, and Noctis and Iris had long fallen asleep, snuggled up on either side of Prompto, Gladiolus and Ignis remained at the camp table, deep in conversation. They were once again discussing particulars of the upcoming journey; neither of them wanting to leave any aspect to chance. Gladio paused in the middle of going over their planned route for the hundredth time to gaze thoughtfully at the slumbering trio propped up against the trunk of one of the great willows; "They're still such kids, Iggy. Not even you and I were facing what they are when we were that age." His expression was slightly regretful as he studied his little sister's face in its placid state, as if contemplating all that she would have to go through without him there to guide her. Ignis nodded in silent agreement, staring down at his gloved hands, folded together on the table in front of him. "They are indeed very young for the responsibilities they bear, but their circumstances of birth, as well as their own choices have set them on this path irrevocably, and it is up to us to give them all the tools we can to succeed." Gladio nodded as he got up from the table and grabbed a camp blanket from inside their one tent; he shook it out to its full length and bent over the sleeping friends, tucking in the edges securelyReturning to the tent, he began his bed time preparations "Fun's over in the morning, you know. Once they all wake up, it's final packing, and training will be over. They'll have to put all their skills into practice. Hopefully we can keep them all safe."


	4. Chapter 4

The long anticipated day had finally arrived, and Iris was doing her best to stay as busy as humanly possible; she was determined to put on a brave face, and not let her friends worry about how much their absence would affect her. It had been decided that Iris would remain in Insomnia indefinitely; her father had planned on sending her back to the Amicitia home, but Gladio, knowing that she thrived on being around other people and always having a problem to solve, reasoned that it would be unfair to send her home alone to be bored to death with no one to keep her company. Iris didn't object to the decision, even though she missed the comfort of its familiar walls. She was grateful that she didn't have to go back when everyone she cared about were working hard to serve the kingdom and its people. Sometimes she envied her friends back home; all they had to worry about were exams, crushes, and parties. Sure, everyone in Lucis was aware of the threat the Nifleheim posed, but they weren't seeing it up close and personal the way she was. To Iris, this conflict had a face, and threatened the lives of so many she loved, but she also couldn't deny the excitement it stirred in her heart; these were trying times, but she couldn't suppress the feeling that the potential for adventure was endless.

In all honesty, she knew she would have resented being sent away when so much was happening; her deepest desire was that she would be able to serve like they did, but in a way that was all her own. Iris wanted nothing more than to prove to herself and everyone else that she could find her own unique path; one that could give her purpose, and that she could take pride in. As much as she loved Gladio, Iris had always slightly balked at the fact that he and their father always made all her important decisions for her; believing that they knew best, and expecting her to comply enthusiastically. She loved and admired her family's legacy as protectors of the Lucian monarchs, but being a king's shield was a task that Clarus and Gladiolus had each taken on, and Iris knew that, as much as she would have loved staying by Noctis' side in battle and otherwise, there was only room for one such guardian, and she needed to find her own niche. Despite not being sure of where she wanted the trajectory of her life to take her, Iris was aware of her talents and enjoyed doing what she was good at; it was just in the past year or so that she had begun to realize that she truly loved every element of a hand to hand fight.

Even though she'd never been in a life threatening battle before, Iris relished the feeling of her fists crashing into the canvas of a punching bag, the pads of a practice glove, and even Gladio's ribs when she was lucky enough to land a hit on him; she even liked the feeling of getting thrown to the mat every now and then, though it was an acquired taste, seeing as going head to head with her brother guaranteed that one would get a good knocking around. She had even come to see how strategy factored in to winning such fights; where she had long approached with the idea that as long as she hit as hard and fast as possible, and managed to survive, it was a fight well fought. Gladio had tried to drill into her head the importance of searching out an opponent's weaknesses and exploiting them, Iris hadn't really understood what that meant until one day when she disabled Prompto by feinting to one side while he struck at her, and using the momentum of his strike to flip him over her shoulder and follow him in a somersault, bringing a solid elbow down on his stomach and effectively grounding him.

Prompto had made it easy for Iris to stay busy, in fact, he'd made it necessary, with his obsessive need to go through his gear bag again and again, convinced that he had forgotten something vital, and would tear each of his bags apart, and repack it multiple times. Gladio, Ignis, and Noctis had already finished their preparations, and were convening with emissaries of the Empire over the journey's expectations, so it fell to Iris to keep him moving. At first, she had humored him, helping him lay each item out and repack each bag, but she quickly realized, with a rising sense of frustration, that his vigilance was an exercise in futility, and that his erratic behavior stemmed from his anxiety about his first official mission as Noctis' bodyguard. As annoyed as his actions made her, Iris knew how seriously Prompto took his position and how afraid he was to let anyone down. She was one of the few people, very possibly the only person, to whom he had confessed his feelings of not truly belonging. It was important to him that he prove himself as one of the group, even though Iris knew that the rest of them had accepted him unquestionably a long time ago. Knowing that Prompto would never be satisfied with his inventory, Iris had taken to sneaking his bags out one by one when he was distracted with packing his pistols; her strategy being to take his smallest belongings first, and tuck them in to the trunk of the Regalia among the others' in a way that would be the most discouraging to retrieve.

Iris had successfully stowed Prompto's clothing, as well as the case that carried his precious camera and all its accessories, and felt that it was as good a time as any to give him a shake and remind him that actually doing the job he was so stressed about would help him get a handle on his stress and calm down. She dashed back up to his room, prepared to bully him as much as she had to to get her point across. Bursting through his door, she found that his room had been completely vacated; there was no sign of the weapons he had been packing, and the room had already been tidied as if in preparation for its next occupant. Iris stood in the center of the room, her hands on her hips as she surveyed it thoughtfully. Someone must have come in and gotten him going while she was busy with his luggage, and she knew exactly who that someone was. She smirked to herself as she imagined Gladio barging into Prompto's room, demanding to know why he wasn't ready, then proceeding to pack Prompto's remaining affects with the utmost speed and efficiency and without any regard to his sorting preferences, before gathering the remaining bags in one hand and grabbing the younger boy by the back of his collar with the other and marching them out to the Regalia. She felt a sudden pang of sadness in her heart as she realized that those moments would soon be very few and far between, and that it was unlikely that she would be present for them. Banishing those thoughts to the back of her mind, Iris turned on her heel and sprinted off to meet them all at the car where she knew the guys would be waiting to say goodbye to her.

As she bounded down the Citadel steps, Iris saw all four of her guys gathered around the car they'd been given for their journey. As she approached, they all turned to face her, each of them holding his hands behind his back. She came to a stop in front of them, adopting an authoritative stance; crossing her arms and shifting her hip to one side, she leaned forward slightly, "Alright, you guys, what's going on?" she asked as she fixed each of them in turn with a suspicious stare. Prompto hopped forward first, a wide grin spread across his face as he bowed deeply "Lady Iris, we wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for everything you've done to help us prepare for our mission. And from me especially, thank you for being a great friend." He handed her an oblong package, carelessly wrapped in bright yellow paper. Inside she found a selfie stick decorated with a fat, sparkly chocobo hanging from the handle. "I expect you to send us lots of pictures and keep us updated on how you're doing." Iris jumped on him with a choked laugh, wrapping her arms around his neck and hugging him as hard as she could. He spun her around a few times, squeezing her just as tightly. "Alright you two" Gladio called out to them gruffly "No need to get all sappy about it." Prompto let her down and it was Ignis' turn to step forward and present her with two packages, one was flat and rectangular, the other a cylinder; both impeccably wrapped. "For being the best sous chef I've ever had, as well as being the one to always bring a smile to my face." Inside was a notebook full of all the recipes they had created together, while the cylinder contained a canister of Ignis' favorite Ebony coffee. "Save it for special occasions, and don't destroy the beautiful flavor notes with too much cream or sugar" He said it jokingly, but Iris knew how seriously Ignis took his coffee experience, and vowed to treat it like a treasure.

After a couple well placed elbows in his ribs from Gladio, Noctis stepped forward and awkwardly handed Iris a small paper box "You always give us your best and go out of your way to help us out. I just wanted to give you something completely from me to let you know that I wish you were going to be with us every step of the way." Iris struggled to choke back the lump that had suddenly popped up in her throat at his words, as she opened the package. Inside was a handmade fishing lure, delicately decorated with colorful feathers. 'Noct, it's beautiful!" She cried "You made this?" His smile was bashful and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other "Uh, yeah I did, do you like it? It's only like the third one I've actually finished." "I love it!" She answered, and threw her arms around him tightly "The next time we see each other, I'm going to be so good at fishing, it'll be like you taught me yourself!"

"Alright alright, that's enough of that!" Gladio called out as his hand descended heavily on Noctis' shoulder, effectively ending their embrace. He turned to Iris, a big grin spread across his face as he handed her his gift "I know you've had some trouble deciding on which weapon to focus your training on, but would still like to take your training out in the field, so I got you something that'll help protect the weapons you were born with." She eagerly tore the paper off the package and popped the latches of the underlying dark grey case open, revealing a pair of black leather gauntlets, minimally trimmed in red, and detailed with flat black metal studs. "Oh Gladdy!" She gasped "They're gorgeous!" He took the case from her and set it on the hood of the Regalia, "Hold out your arms" he told her, and proceeded to show her how to equip them "If you want, you can wear the actual gauntlet pieces all the time, like you wear those boots you love so much," he teased "The glove part attaches easily, so you can be ready to go at any given moment."

Iris was already raising her arms and rotating her wrists to inspect her new gear from every angle. "They fit perfectly" she marveled "What are they made out of?" "Dualhorn hide, with the rivets and knuckles made of Mythril; I actually hunted the thing and skinned it myself, had the leather dyed and the Mythril smoked out to match your whole..." He waved his hands in her direction in a framing motion to indicate her entire person. "...aesthetic." She laughed "Yeah, I guess I am the only one of us who wears actual colors. I love that the metal details match my pendent and belt chain; you really put some thought into this, I'm so impressed!" Gladio stuck out his chest proudly, crossing his arms and leaning against the Regalia "Well I am an excellent older brother, what did you expect?" He said it with his typical level of smugness, and for once, Iris didn't jump to object "You are a great big brother" She smiled, joining him in leaning against the car "I really couldn't ask for a better one." She clasped her hands around his arm and laid her head on his shoulder "Is it time to say goodbye?" Reaching around with his free hand, he tousled her hair "Yeah, I think it's about that time. You guys ready to head out?"

"Not before we take a group photo!" Prompto yelled from where he had been setting up his tripod in front of the Regalia "Everyone gather round, let's make this a good one!" Iris crouched down to one side of the front bumper, leaning an elbow on her more elevated knee; Ignis stood behind her next to the driver's side door, arms crossed in a confident pose, while on the opposite side, Noctis stood with his hands in his pockets. "You gotta do better than that, your highness!" An annoyed Gladio called out. He crossed over to Noctis' side of the car and flung a heavy arm around his shoulders. Turning in the camera's direction, he threw up a peace sign and roguish smile; the prince sighed laughingly and managed an awkward smile and a thumbs up. After a few minutes of fiddling with the timer, Prompto set it to his satisfaction and threw himself down by the fender adjacent to Iris. He bent one knee up, casually draping the corresponding arm over it, before shooting her a wink, accompanied by a finger gun, and then falling into his ever-ready camera smile, just in time for the telltale "click".

They all gathered around Prompto to look at the photo; "Hey we all look really good! Especially me." Iris laughed. Gladio wrapped an arm around her neck and pulled her into a playful head lock "Nice try little one, but everyone in this entire kingdom knows I'm the looker in the family! Do your scars have their own fan club? Do girls write poems dedicated to your biceps?" He was rubbing his knuckles into her hair, ratting it up exactly how he knew she hated it, while she choked around her laugher, trying to scream at him to stop. "No! None of the ladies are checking for you, Iris! I'm the prettiest Amicitia!" "Don't you think you've tormented your sister enough, Gladio?" Ignis sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Iris finally wiggled out of her brother's grasp and scooted away, yelling back over her shoulder "You're not even that pretty! You look like a damn thug when you run around with your shirt open. Iggy is way prettier than you, who are you even kidding?!"

Gladio raised a hand, index finger outstretched as if he was going to launch into a full blown lecture about the insolence of his little sister questioning his divinely given beauty, when he stopped and turned to look at Ignis, a mischievous grin spreading across his face "Ol' Iggy is pretty isn't he?" He cuffed Ignis on the chin and vaulted into the backseat of the Regalia "Alright you assholes, get it together and say your goodbyes; we've dawdled long enough". Noctis and Prompto threw their arms around Iris in a group hug; Ignis waited until they were done to get his own goodbye hug, and when he released her, held her at arm's length for a moment "Keep creating new dishes and desserts, will you? I'd love to have new recipes to compare when we see each other again." "I will!" She promised, reaching up to grip one of his hands where it rested on her shoulder "You've taught me so much, Ignis. Thank you."

Iris watched them all climb into the car, and stood on the Citadel steps waving goodbye as they drove away. It wasn't until they were long out of sight that she could bring herself to turn and go back inside the palace. She hated this feeling; that vaguely sad feeling that everyone gets many times in life, though it always feels like the first time; the feeling that nothing would be the same again. Of course, this feeling always goes away; it fades into the background until it becomes the "new normal", and then the cycle continues until the next life changing event. Even though Iris knew she wouldn't feel this way forever, it gave her no comfort. She sighed as she trudged back to her sleeping quarters; she'd have to keep herself extra busy to stave off the loneliness that was already creeping up into her heart, but for now, all she wanted to do was rest.

Notes: I'm going to be changing the timeline up a bit from game canon; partly because I feel like the attack on Lucis came too soon, and then because I need more time to establish genuine ties between Iris and Ravus before everything goes to shit. So basically, there will be significant canon divergence here and there as I see fit to tell a well-rounded, believable romance between these two. I don't really have a plan here, I'm kind of just going with whatever feels right. Thanks for reading! I so appreciate it 3


	5. Chapter 5

Iris decided immediately that doubling down on her combat training was the first order of business to keep herself occupied; there was no way she'd let Gladio have any reason to criticize her progress in his absence. She was so galvanized by the fear that she would somehow fall behind her comrades, that she was determined to finally select a weapon to focus her training on. It had occurred to her that combat situations in the real world would greatly advance her skill levels in various useful ways; the only problem with that was that she could only leave the palace with her older brother, or with a detail of Kingsglaive guards. Iris knew that, while the first option wasn't even on the table for her after Gladio's departure, a personal guard wouldn't let danger within a hundred yards of her, and therefore offered no actual learning experience.

What way could she possibly get out of the palace without her father finding out and restricting her freedom even more? Iris was pondering her predicament while she was reading Ignis' recipe for madeleines a few days after the guys had started their journey when it hit her " _Maybe if I bribe Ravus with more baked goods, he'd let me come on a field mission with him_ " she thought excitedly. She knew that her father would be absolutely against her spending any time with a man who he considered to be an enemy of his king, but Ravus could do as he pleased in the capital, and could easily make it so no one would know or notice that she was gone on detail with him. Iris had no illusions that he had any motivation to give her special treatment, but it was the only solution she could come up with, and maybe if she caught him in a good mood, and plied him with some special confection, then he just might give her a chance to plead her case.

Now that she had a plan, Iris' next mission was to figure out what kind of cake or pastry to make for the High Commander. He had mentioned that his sister used to make cupcakes when they were children, but she didn't want to play off his vulnerabilities in such an obvious way. Iris thought back to her childhood history lessons, sorting through everything she had been taught about Tenebrae; there must have been some detail she learned that would hold significance to Ravus, that she could use to her advantage. She knew it was a land steeped in tradition; where Lucis had embraced modern fashions and technology, Tenebrae remained loyal to its old ways. When they were young, Noctis had told Iris about his visit there when he was twelve years old; he described the kingdom as feeling ancient in its every aspect. Its forests were deep and dark, easy to get lost in if one was careless. He mostly talked about Luna, and how they'd grown to be such close friends, and how she had a huge garden full of beautiful blue Sylleblossoms that she was immensely fond of. Iris had usually stopped listening by then, finding the Oracle a less than fascinating subject; especially when hearing about her from Noct. Iris halted in her memory tracks; " _That's right_ " she thought to herself " _Sylleblossoms_ ". She remembered it now: it was true that Lunafreya dearly loved the blue flowers, and had a large plot of them; such was common knowlege, but more important than that, they were a symbol of Tenebraen royalty, and the Nox Fleuret family itself, they no doubt held strong meaning for Ravus. Iris pondered this realization; she was sure using the Sylleblossoms would resonate with the High Commander, but would it produce a favorable reaction, or would she lose any chance she had at ingratiating herself to him? She couldn't explain it, but she had a strange desire to reach out in friendship to the man who seemingly held great resentment toward those she cared about; perhaps it was her curiosity to learn the story from his point of view, or, in a simpler explanation, she was lonely and wanted to have someone to spend time and train with now that her brother and friends were gone. She was also sure that Ravus could teach her combat and weaponry techniques that Gladio hadn't been able to; maybe he could even help her find out which weapons she was most inclined to.

With her mind made up, Iris waited until late that night when she knew the palace had settled in, and there wouldn't be as much risk of someone seeing her sneak over to the wing that Ravus and his retinue were occupying. She had thought about making her confections that very day and showing up at his door that evening, but she thought better of it when she realized that he might not be very pleased about being surprised; she also considered the fact that she didn't know what time he retired for the night and might catch him in the midst of his pre slumber rituals, which would be decidedly awkward, she thought, cringing a little. No, there were too many unpredictable variables, not to mention that the idea of meeting with the high commander in the late evening, all alone made her feel like her heart had crawled up into her throat and was trying to strangle her. Early morning before she headed to the gym seemed like her best bet; if for no other reason than her emotional well being. She decided that her most ideal course of action would be to ask Ravus if she could bring her creations over around breakfast time. Meeting him at this hour, even just make her simple request, made Iris nervous to the point that, before she started on her way, she had hurriedly scrawled out a note detailing her intentions, with room for him to reply, that she planned on slipping underneath his door.

Iris made her way silently across the palace courtyard and through its dimly lit halls, keeping to the shadows in case she came upon a stray attendant running some evening errand. When she arrived at Ravus' corridor, her heart beat was quickened and she laughed to herself, realizing that sneaking around after dark on clandestine missions excited her to the point where her initial nervousness was almost gone. Iris had decided to check his office first, in case he was working late as was his habit. It was with a sigh of relief that she saw the soft glow of lamplight pooling out from under the door as she approached it. Still not finding the courage to knock, she slipped her note under the doorway and crouched down in front of it to await a reply. Her note went:

 _"Lord Ravus, I was wondering if your previous request was sincere; and if so, I'd like to bring some more of my creations for you to try. Would tomorrow morning around breakfast be agreeable?"_

 _-Iris_

The flickering light and sound of footsteps approaching told Iris that he had seen her note. The letter was whisked away from under the door, and Iris, straining her ears trying to detect any sound that she could, heard the ripping and rustling of paper, indicating that her message had reached its intended recipient. She heard a soft chuckle and, without warning, the door swung open, causing her to lose her balance and fall forward, finding herself staring at Ravus' impeccably polished boots. "Good evening, lady Iris" he greeted her "What a pleasant surprise to find you quite literally on my doorstep" She could hear the amusement in his voice as she scrambled to her feet and stood there, eyes cast down sheepishly and the color rising on her cheeks. "U-um, I didn't want to disturb you if you were busy" the words came tumbling out like a fountain as she struggled to gain mastery of her embarrassment at being caught "I figured you would just pass my note back with your answer, and then just go on my way." When she finally forced herself to lift her gaze and look him in the eye, she found that he was wearing a slight smirk across his chiseled features; it rather annoyed her, but she remained silent, hoping he would give her an answer and allow her to flee back to the safety of her own quarters. "I haven't passed a note like this since I was a young boy, " he said teasingly "Ah, well, since I don't get the feeling that you are eager to come in, I suppose I will see you in the morning." Iris squared her shoulders and looked up at him with a winning smile plastered across her face "Alright!" she almost shouted out "See you then" She turned on her heel and started to take off, back to her comfort zone at the other end of the palace when he called after her in a voice that sounded as genuine as one could expect from a man who almost rarely spoke in terms that didn't include sarcasm, annoyance, or plain arrogance "I very much look forward to finding out what you've come up with, Iris." Hearing him use her name without any kind of title attached to it made Iris want to simultaneously kick someone in the shins and hug herself; she simply waved back at him and bolted, not slowing down until she reached her bedroom door.

" _Why the hell did I have to pick breakfast time? No self loving creature should be awake at this hour_ " It was hours yet before the first rays of sunlight would be peaking over the horizon, and Iris lay in her bed contemplating the possibility of staying in bed for another hour. She had almost convinced herself that she could afford to spend another hour in bed, when she remembered that she had decided to make macarons for Ravus, and, not only were they a very unpredictable thing to make, but she had only attempted the task a handful of times, and needed time to make sure she could turn out a good number of perfect specimens. She rolled out of bed with a groan and quickly got dressed before making her way down to the kitchen, making sure to strap on the gauntlets that Gladio had given her; she loved the way they felt on her arms: tight and supportive, but without being at all restrictive of her movements, and she had already gotten to the point where she felt naked without them.

Iris had chosen to make macarons because they were small and easy to transport, and she wanted to be able to show off for Ignis the next time they were able to cook together again. This macaron in particular was going to be slightly more difficult because she wanted to incorporate sylleblossoms into their design. She'd picked her flavors right away (blueberry for the filling, and vanilla with a hint of lavender for the outer part), but had been wracking her brain for ways to present the flowers; at first she'd thought to pipe a sylleblossom onto each of the macarons with frosting, but ruled that idea out almost immediately; she couldn't think of ever having seen anyone put frosting on the outside of a macaron, not to mention that making frosting would add a whole other element to create, and would take up time that she probably didn't have. Instead, she decided to work the sylleblossoms into the batter of the macaron itself. Iris set aside a portion of the batter used to make the outer cookie part of the macaron, and added blue food coloring, tinting the white batter a deep, royal blue, which she then poured into a piping bag with a small wavy tip. She got a larger piping bag with a larger, plain tip, and put the smaller bag with the dyed batter inside it, fixing the smaller tip directly inside the larger one. She then poured the white batter in around the smaller bag, praying that the sylleblossoms would come out clearly recognizable. Thinking that it would be a good idea to have some a batch of plain macarons as well, in case someone wanted to see the fruits of her labor, Iris had prepared extra batter and filling. She knew that if anyone saw the macarons she was making for Ravus, that they would recognize the imagery instantly, and wonder what she, the daughter of the king's most trusted guard, was doing making desserts stamped with the symbol of the Tenebraean royal family, and then she'd have to explain herself to her father.

The prospect of such a conversation made Iris cringe; Clarus Amicitia was not necessarily a cruel parent, he simply saw things in very black-and-white terms, and expected his family to follow suit. Beyond that, the safety of the king occupied his thought first and foremost. Iris had always thought deep down that her father cared more about the king than any member of his family, which, of course, was the way things should be, she didn't contest that, but some part of her believed that he genuinely would rather spend his days at the king's side than with his children. It was surprising, even to Iris, that this knowledge didn't bother her, but she admitted to herself that she had never had a close connection with her male parent; after their mother died when she was young, Gladio had become all she needed, and she felt that she couldn't really mourn the absence of something she had never experienced.

The chiming of the oven shook Iris from her musings and let her know that it was time to get to work. She decided to do a practice run with the plain macarons, and happily discovered that, after a few shaky starts, she could pipe beautifully shaped dollops of batter onto the specially marked parchment paper that she was using to ensure uniform size. Once she felt confident enough, she got to work on the ones for Ravus. Employing a steady hand and delicate touch, Iris was delighted to find that the flower shapes piped out beautifully, the sylleblossoms contrasting brightly against the white background. The rest of the process came together like a dream and she profusely thanked all the gods she could think of, sure that this was a sign that her talk with the high commander would yield positive results. Iris carefully boxed the sweets up and hurriedly cleaned up after herself, not wanting to leave extra work for the staff; she disliked the idea of other people picking up after her, and always tried to minimize her impact in places like the palace, where menial tasks were done by the wait staff. She also decided to leave her plain macarons out for anyone who might come wandering in to the kitchen throughout the day, thinking that it would be a nice surprise to come across. She took a moment to survey her work, giving the kitchen a once-over to make sure she didn't overlook anything. The minute she slowed down, she realized how tired she was, letting out a big yawn, her eyes becoming momentarily bleary, and she sighed, already anticipating going to bed early, but she shook the feeling off, gathered her macarons and headed off to Ravus' office.

By the time Iris got there, she could tell by the cart stopped outside a room several doors down from his, that Ravus had already had his breakfast delivered, which she was grateful for, as she could then be sure that he would already be awake, thus avoiding the awkwardness of having to wait around for him ready himself. She gave the door several short knocks, and stepped back, hearing his movements from inside. The door swung open, and he stood there, immaculately groomed, with not a button or lapel out of place, making Iris feel slightly at a disadvantage, because she hadn't even taken the time to bathe that morning. " _Whatever"_ she said to herself _"I got up ridiculously early to make these for him, so if he's judging my appearance, he can shove it_ " Her inner declaration cheered her immensely and she sang out her "Good morning" in a way that one wouldn't easily be able to tell how sleepy she was. Ravus returned her good morning amiably enough, though with significantly less energy; she couldn't imagine him expressing excitement in any capacity, and wondered if he'd been a very serious child growing up. He motioned her in and pulled out a chair at his desk, opposite from where he normally sat, a meal spread out on it that looked larger than a standard breakfast for a grown man. "I told Maggie that I was feeling extra hungry this morning, and had her bring a bit more than I usually get; just in case you've been too busy to eat yet" he stated, nodding at the package she still held. "Oh, thank you!" She responded, slightly shocked at the kind offer "Now that I think about it, I don't think I've eaten anything at all today." Since he had mentioned it, Iris's stomach started to growl, the smell of the food not helping to suppress her hunger, which until now, she'd been ignoring. "Well then, sit down" He replied, still holding onto the chair he'd pulled out for her. She obeyed, and he pushed the chair in to a comfortable distance from the table, before seating himself opposite her in his customary position.

They set about helping themselves to the food before them; sausage, fruit and toast with jam for her, and eggs, hot cereal, fruit, ham, toast and coffee for him. " _He eats almost as much as Gladdy_ " Iris thought to herself, torn between giggling at the similarities, and letting a wave of loneliness well up and choke her; she managed to suppress both. Silence normally didn't bother Iris, but for some reason she felt pressed to get a conversation going, if for nothing else than to get to know the man sitting across the table from her; one who, had history gone differently, might be as close a friend to her as Ignis and Prompto. She wondered if he had any special interests or hobbies he liked to spend his time on when he wasn't commanding an army. Maybe he loved music or art, or took pride in the maintenance of his weaponry; whatever his interests were, she felt a strong desire to get to know him better, but didn't know where to begin to do so. Looking up from the toast she was currently spreading with a thick layer of jam, she went with the first thing that popped into her head "Lord Ravus, since you've been staying in Insomnia, what do you do to keep your hand to hand and weaponry skills sharp? I've never seen you in the dojo, and I'm there every day, sometimes two or three times each day." Halfway through her question, she realized that it might not have been the most engaging way to start a conversation, but she couldn't take it back now. "Please don't worry about being so formal and call me Ravus; I hope you don't mind that I call you Iris" He was cutting into a slice of ham, and didn't bother looking up at her until he finished speaking, at which point, he took a bite and returned her gaze with no indication that he was asking permission. Normally, Iris might feel a little intimidated by his confidence that she wouldn't mind him addressing her so informally, but, whether the combination of hunger and fatigue dulled her ability to care, or she was feeling particularly confident herself that day, she merely popped a grape into her mouth and gave him a cheeky grin "Alright, Ravus, same question."

An amused smirk flitted briefly across his features, interrupting his default expression which was most easily described as apathetic with a touch of the sardonic "Demons" He answered simply, leaning back in his chair "They come out all over outside the walls of the Crown city once the sun goes down; they can be formidable enemies if one is not properly prepared. Other than that, there is plenty of wildlife in the surrounding countryside with which to keep your blade keen, should you prefer to train during the day." "Which do you prefer?" She asked, genuinely interested in any potential way of testing her mettle in an uncontrolled environment. "Well, it depends" He answered, inspecting the contents of his nearly empty coffee mug; probably, Iris thought, contemplating whether another cup was a good idea at that point in the morning "If I feel like challenging myself, then night time is the only time I truly feel that my abilities are being stretched to their limits. Daytime, and the beasts that come with it, is better for when I want to formulate a new techniques, or simply practice techniques that I have not yet completely mastered." He set his cup to the side, deciding against the additional coffee, and turned his gaze on Iris, who, although she'd been listening, was making a sandwich with her last piece of toast and half a sausage. "How is your brother ensuring that you are advancing your combat skills while he is unable to teach you?" She had just been raising her sandwich to take a bite, and paused to look up at him "Gladdy laid out some instructions for me that he'll test me on next time we see each other. He's also arranged for several Kingsglaive members to spar with me if I want, but I feel like they're either afraid of hurting me, or annoyed that they have to teach his kid sister. Maybe even both." She shrugged, taking a big bite out of her sandwich. "I see he left you with some new gear" Ravus pointed out, nodding at her gauntlets "They suit you well, have you found your weapon at last?" "I can't say for sure, I haven't had the opportunity to really try them out yet, but they already feel as much a part of my outfit as the boots I wear, so it's possible" She waved her hand as if to dismiss the topic "But I came here for a reason, don't forget!"

Stacking their dishes off to the side, Iris placed the box of macarons in front of Ravus, and sat back expectantly "All yours, Lord Nox Fleuret" She grinned. He raised a suspicious eyebrow and folded the lid of the box back; seeing its contents, he leaned back in his chair and looked at her curiously, his head cocked slightly to the side "Iris Amicitia" He spoke after a moment "How did you manage to put Sylleblossoms on a confection in the heart of the Lucian capital, with a retinue of the Nifleheim empire occupying it? And what could motivate you to do so?" Iris scooted forward in her chair, folding her arms on the desk in front of her "I thought that maybe it would be nice to give you something that reminded you of home, while at the same time making you feel a little more welcome here. Plus, I'd really like it if we could be friends." He picked a macaron out of the box and sat there inspecting it for a moment before he looked at her again and spoke "And why would you be so eager to foster a friendship with someone who, to all appearances, is an enemy of your kingdom as well as your family?" Iris lightly stroked the leather of the gauntlet on her left arm, trying to formulate a response that would explain her situation without making her seem too selfish "I don't see you as an enemy; Tenebrae was once an ally of Lucis, and I believe that everything you've done has been to protect all the family you have left, and I greatly respect that, plus...I'd also like a favor." His gaze hadn't left her face, but she couldn't discern any kind of reaction to her words. "Well, Iris, what kind of favor are you requesting?"

Iris was sure that her words had put him on defense, and she quickly tried to defuse his suspicion by explaining herself. "I need real world training; I know you're aware of that, and I really want to challenge myself, and you have no end of experience, so my request is this: take me with you into the field and teach me how to win battles, and not just to survive." Ravus seemed to relax slightly and sat there considering her words. "I don't know how I feel bearing the responsibility of taking a member of the king's guard's family out on patrol..." He raised a hand to silence her, as she had just risen from her seat to plead her case "without any idea of her skill level or abilities." Iris stopped short, taking a moment to process the fact that he hadn't shut her down outright. "I w-wasn't really prepared for you to give me any kind of opportunity" She blurted out "But absolutely, I'd be more than happy to do any kind of assessment if that means you haven't told me no." Ravus leaned forward, resting his elbows on the desk in front of him, "You're right in your estimation of how much I could possibly teach you, and I have no doubt that you would be an adept student; I just wonder at the wisdom of forging such a controversial alliance, and, if we decided to do so, how we could minimize the repercussions." "I've already been considering those points myself." Iris replied "Going on patrols with you wouldn't be too much of a problem because my father and the staff who know me, know that I'm always either reading in my room, or training in the dojo. They wouldn't miss me during the day. And I think that as long as we're careful not to damage anything, we could easily spar in the palace gardens, no one really visits them right now."

To her great surprise, Ravus actually let out a slight chuckle "I see that you have thought this over very thoroughly, Lady Iris. Pray tell, how long have you been plotting to become my pupil?" She blushed slightly, seeing that she'd let him see how eager she was "Truth be told, it was almost immediately after you spoke to me about the cake I sent you. I wanted to learn from someone who was equally as knowledgeable of weapons and combat techniques as my brother, if not more so." "Well" He responded, crossing his arms over his chest and adopting a thoughtful posture "I think an assessment of your skills is in order, as well as a small amount of readiness training to ensure that we don't throw you into the field without preparation. But I don't think that I am the one to teach you until you are ready to leave the capitol." Iris frowned "I don't agree with that; I think as few people as possible should know about this. But, assuming you're right, what do you suggest?" "I will always be available as a resource to you if you have any questions in between your lessons." He reassured her "I only think it wise that we avoid meeting in the palace as much as possible so as to avoid suspicion. I have a friend who can both prepare you for field missions, as well as report your progress to me, and let me know when you're ready. You will not find a more skillful teacher, or trustworthy warrior. Plus, I think you'll get along excellently. Will you trust me on this?"

She nodded begrudgingly "Sure, if you think it's best. When do I meet this friend of yours?" He rose to his feet "I'll get in contact today, and let you know when all is ready. Speaking of which, let me give my phone number, that way we can communicate a bit more effectively than clandestine note passing. Texts are preferable." He said it with a straight face, but Iris blushed all the same, still slightly embarrassed about him catching her by surprise outside his door. A realization popped into her head all of a sudden and she sprang to her feet. "It must be getting to mid morning! I didn't realize how much time has gone by." She hurried to the door, worried about the fact that the later it got, the more likely the chance of someone seeing her as she made her way back to her room. "Thank you, Ravus! I look forward to hearing from you and your friend." She popped out the door and was off, tingling with excited anticipation.


	6. Chapter 6

It had been a while since Iris had purposefully seen or spoke to her father since she had arrived at the palace; he'd text her every now and then to check on how her training was going, and to make sure she was keeping up with her studies, but he never took much interest in how her moral was holding up. She was on her way back to her quarters from a morning gym session when she decided that it would be a good idea to spend some time with him, if for no other reason than that it would make Gladio happy; he had always had a closer relationship with their father than Iris did, though, to his credit, he did his best to encourage closeness between Iris and Clarus, even though it had been largely ineffective. Iris knew that Gladio would ask her about Clarus when they met again, and she wanted to be able to honestly tell him that she made a effort to see their father. "I'm not going to let Gladdy have a leg to stand on if he comes at me for avoiding dad this time." She muttered to herself as she typed out a simple message, asking her father if he wanted to have lunch sometime in the near future, being purposefully vague in hopes that his response would be equally vague, so that they could both feel like they tried without actually making much of an effort.

Her hopes were dashed however, when her phone buzzed a few moments later with his response saying that he'd be happy to have lunch with her that very day, and inviting her up to his office to do so. Iris sighed resignedly as she texted back her acceptance, and, having by then reached her room, unlocked her door, tossed her gym back to the side, and threw herself face down on the bed, as was her habit when she was feeling at odds with the current state of things. She had no idea what they'd talk about; he had probably found something new to lecture her on, she though with a groan. Then a thought seized her and made her sit up, suddenly feeling very paranoid "What if he knows about my talks with Ravus?" She sat there, gnawing on her lower lip, weighing the consequences she'd have to deal with if her father had indeed found out that she'd been getting friendly with the high commander. "He'd send me home, for sure." she thought, "And then I wouldn't be able to see Gladdy, Noct and Prompto again before the wedding, forget about even catching a glimpse of Ravus ever again." That wasn't an option. She squared her shoulders and set her jaw determinedly; he could say and ask whatever he wanted, she'd never admit to asking the high commander for help, she'd lie straight to his face if she had to. Once she'd made that declaration to herself, Iris felt more at ease, the paranoia ebbing away. She hopped to her feet, looked at the time and realized their scheduled lunch wasn't far off; she rinsed off in the shower and got dressed as quickly as she could, then dashed off to meet the king's shield in his office.

Surprised at the lack of a steady stream of Crownsguard soldiers flowing in and out of Clarus' offices, Iris knocked hesitantly on the heavy black door; hearing no answer, she checked the time and, seeing that she was a few minutes early, she opted to sit down on the ground next to one of the benches that flanked the door. Of course, she could have sat down ON the bench, but she preferred having something to lean against; besides, it was simply her nature to place herself in spots where it was least likely that she'd be seen. She had only been sitting for a few minutes when she heard the echo of several sets of heavy footsteps coming from the hallway adjacent from her father's office. Confident that it was only her father and a few of his subordinates, and not feeling any special urge to get up, she merely turned slightly to look over her shoulder and observe their approach. Clarus emerged first, two Crownsguard soldiers walked beside him on his left, and about a half step behind him, walked Ravus with two of his own retinue. Iris instinctively hunkered down behind her bench, making herself as small as possible as she peeked out to observe them, They had halted in just outside the hallway, Clarus with his back to Iris, Ravus facing him, and seemed to be conversing politely enough, though the tension was visible in both of their postures.

Their voices were so low that Iris couldn't make out their topic of conversation, but she almost immediately dropped her attempt when Ravus, lifting his eyes, caught her gaze over her father's shoulder. Her eyes must have blown wide with panic, because he quickly broke eye contact and concluded his business with her father, giving him a curt nod and exiting with his guards out the hallway opposite the door to Clarus' office. Iris could have sworn that she saw the ghost of a smirk flit across Ravus' face just before he turned to go, but she had no time to ponder it; Clarus began speaking with the Crownsguard in low tones and they turned and entered his office, completely unaware of his daughter's presence.

Iris waited several minutes before climbing to her feet and settling herself to look as nonchalant as possible, before once again knocking on the door to her father's office. This time, it swung right open and one of the Crownsguard ushered her in "Hello, Iris," her father called to her from where he stood at his desk, looking over the array of maps, charts, and orders arranged meticulously, as was Clarus' habit, "Come in." He waved her to a chair that sat to the side of his desk and continued to survey his documents, occasionally making comments to the soldier who stood to his right silently taking notes. Iris dropped into the chair offered her and stretched her legs out in front of her, adopting a lounging posture, knowing that there was nothing to do but wait for him to finish his business; she looked around the room, realizing that it had been some time since she'd been there, but not surprised by the fact that everything was in its right place and in perfect order. "Same old dad," she thought to herself "Never could tolerate anything out of place."

His voice cut through her musings "Sit up straight, Iris. Amicitias must remain vigilant at all times; you never know when a situation might need instant action." She swallowed a groan and resisted the impulse to roll her eyes as she hauled herself into a more upright position, knowing that it would get much worse if he suspected in the slightest that she didn't take his order with the utmost seriousness. Becoming annoyed that she was being made to wait while he attended to gods knew what, Iris turned to him "What was high commander Ravus talking to you about?" she posed the question as innocently as she possible could, knowing how much her father disliked the empire, and she knew that he held a special disgust for Ravus. As Clarus Amicitia saw it, absolute loyalty was more important than life itself; even though he had lost his family, his kingdom and his homeland, Ravus Nox Fleuret had set himself in direct opposition to the royal family that his own family had pledged eternal devotion to, making him a traitor of the worst kind.

He didn't even look up at her to reply "That's Crownsguard business and nothing for you to trouble your mind about, Iris." She rolled her eyes; up until that point, she'd been willing to try to be amiable, and had done an adequate job of it, but right then, she felt a twinge in her stomach, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since before dawn that morning. At the same time, she also noticed the complete absence of food in the room, and remembered that her father did not share a sense of food urgency like she and Gladio did; he could go for days without a solid meal when he was working, and would often need to be reminded to take sustenance. He had probably completely forgotten that they were supposed to eat together. These realizations only served to irritate Iris' already short Amicitia temper, and her desire to keep her father placated was quickly abating. "No, I suppose the goings on of the commander of the armies of the empire that wants nothing more than to destroy our king and his people have nothing to do with me, a daughter of the family serving as the royal family's personal shields; that doesn't interest me at all."

The sharpness of her words made him pause, and, seeing his jaw clench, she took a slight amount of smug joy in the fact that she was still good at annoying him. He straightened up and folded his arms over his chest "Just like Gladdy does when HE'S about to lecture me." Iris thought to herself. "Iris, I know you're unhappy with having to stay here in the citadel while your brother went with the prince to see to his marriage,"Tthere was that lecturing tone. "but you must understand that you must eventually stop being a child and accept your position in life. You were never going to be able to run around with your friends forever. Are you hearing me?" he pressed "You need to grow up, Iris."

She gripped the sides of her chair until her knuckles turned white beneath the Gladio's gauntlets; she knew that her father didn't place much value in friendships between men and women; he saw her friendship with Noct, Prompto and Ignis as convenient at best because when they were around, he didn't have to concern himself with Iris' activities. At worst, it was a distraction that could get in the way of the prince's guard's ability to protect him without hesitation. But now, to hear him scolding her like a naughty babe, was more than she could take. Despite the fact that she didn't bother herself too much about her father's opinion of her, she knew that it was possible to provoke him TOO much. The last thing she wanted was to be sent home, and she was fully aware that that was exactly what would happen if she unleashed all her ire at that moment.

Slowly releasing her death grip on the seat, Iris folded her hands in her lap and forced a fake smile onto her face "Of course you're right, father, I'm sorry I forgot that. On another note, we were supposed to have lunch, should I call for something or would you prefer to continue with your business? Because if you would, I can go eat on my own." He had already returned to perusing his charts when she spoke to him and merely waved a hand in her direction "Yes, I forgot about the meal, but I'm sure you'll manage on your own. You understand that I can't leave right now." His indifference cooled Iris' temper; if he couldn't be bothered to spend more than a half hour with her, then it wasn't worth her time to be upset over it, she just shrugged her shoulders and left the room.

As she was making her way to the kitchens, Iris felt her phone buzz "Ooh I'll bet it's Prompto sending pics of Noct's latest fishing session; he's getting so good at it." Unlocking her phone, she found that she hadn't received pictures from Prompto like she was expecting, but rather, it was a message from Ravus. For a moment she couldn't figure out how he had gotten her number, and then slapped herself in the forehead for forgetting that she had given it to him the day they had eaten breakfast together. Feeling her anticipation growing, Iris tapped on the message icon and read:

Hello Iris. My associate is arriving in the Citadel tonight, and will be able to administer an assessment of your skills and begin your training first thing in the morning. Will your normal training time be sufficient?

-Ravus

She quickly sent an answer:

Hi! Ya tmrw is gr8 u cmng 2?

No, I won't be able to attend, but my friend is aware of the circumstances surrounding this arrangement, and will utilize the utmost discretion. Good luck!

-Ravus

She figured as much, but was still disappointed that he wouldn't be present for whatever assessment his friend would subject her to. She sent one last text:

Aw :( k cya soon!

Slipping her phone into her pocket, Iris jogged off, realizing that she was much hungrier than she had originally thought. "I need to make myself a mountain of food and just sit and think about all of this." she declared to herself.

After loading herself up with two sandwiches and a handful of cookies, Iris carried her little hoard up to her quarters and settled onto her bed to video chat with Prompto. They had arranged to talk at least once a week while he was gone, and they hadn't spoken at all that week and she was lonely for updates on now they were faring on their journey. She dialed his number and squealed joyfully when his freckled face popped up on her screen "Iris!" he yelled happily It's been so long! How are you?" "I'm fine" she chirped back "Just sitting down to eat and missing how I used to have to watch my cookies like a hawk so they wouldn't get 'misplaced' into your belly!" He adopted an expression of injured indignation "Iris, I don't know where you got the idea that I was ever a threat to your cookies, we all know it was Gladio who has sticky fingers!" She heard a gruff "Hey!" from the background and Pronpto ducked, narrowly avoiding the tin camping cup that came flying toward his head. The next moment her big brother came into view, his arm resting heavily on Prompto's shoulder "Hi little sis, how's life in the big palace? You cry yourself to sleep at night knowing your big brother is out risking his skin to keep these idiots alive?"

She rolled her eyes "I'M not the one you need to worry about missing you, I hear you left a pretty big hole in the collective hearts of the ladies of Insomnia when you left. Seems that you promised to come back for one, or several of them, and they somehow got to talking about it, so you might want to stay away a little longer than you had originally planned." Her brother let out a deep booming laugh "Oh they found me out, did they? Doesn't matter; once I'm back, I'll charm my way back into their hearts and pants in no time." Iris scoffed disgustedly at him before waving at Noctis who had appeared just behind Gladio's shoulder "Hi, Noct!" she called out happily "Catch anything good lately?" He smiled and nodded "Yeah, I went yesterday, you should have Prompto send you some of the pictures he took, I think he got a couple good ones." Prompto jumped a bit "Oh yeah, I was supposed to be sending you photo updates! I'm sorry, Iris, I just got caught up in the excitement, I'll send you pictures today, I promise!" Iris smiled "Yes!" I was going to bug you about pictures next, but I'm glad Noct said something too. Where's Iggy? You guys aren't making him do all the work are you? Gladdy?"

The guys seemed to all very suddenly remember tasks they had been working on as Prompto yelled "Hear, talk to him yourself, I gotta grab more firewood." Gladio was now setting up a fold out table by the fire, and Noctis was bringing out the camping chairs to arrange around it. Ignis took the phone and set it so they could see each other while he made their meal "How are you, Iris? Still cooking I hope." "Iggy! Yeah I'm still trying new things when I have time. Oh and tell Gladdy that I went to see dad today." Ignis dipped a spoon into one of the pots he had simmering away on their camp stove and tasted it, considering the taste for a moment and then adding a pinch of a spice blend before he answered her "I will. How did that go? If you don't mind my asking." She plopped onto her side on the bed, propping her head in one had "It went pretty bad, don't tell him that part, I mean, It went as well as one could expect."

Ignis nodded and stirred a sauce pan thoughtfully "It is regrettable that Clarus has never been able to see his family as something more than their sworn duty; Gladio can do both and that is why they get along so well, and why the two of you can also be very close." "Yeah, but Gladio doesn't get why dad and I can't be close; I don't think dad does either or he'd be able to at least try." She thought about all the times Clarus would exasperatedly dismiss her when she wanted to go to the gym with Gladio as a child, and how it wasn't until Gladio himself stood up and pointed out that they wouldn't always be able to look after Iris in the future, and that she had better learn to take care of herself, that he relented and allowed her brother to start training her. "Gladio has never been the most keen observer when it comes to the emotional obstacles of others," Ignis agreed "if it is not a situation that he can directly identify with, he has difficulty ascertaining the problem."

Iris smiled "You always understand, Iggy, thank you. I wish you weren't so far away." Ignis had begun plating their meal by that time "As do I. You're always far more helpful than these cretins, and I do miss our dessert experimentations. Perhaps once this is all over, we will find time to return to it." It felt so nice to be missed that it overshadowed the fact that she couldn't do anything about it; she merely blew him a kiss "I'd better let you go so you can feed our beasts." she laughed "Thank you for listening to me, Iggy. And tell Prompto to text me more often!" "Goodbye, Iris," he replied "I will remind him more often, and I look forward to seeing you once this business is over." After ending the call, Iris flopped over on her back and, stuffing half a cookie in her mouth, stared up at the ceiling, wondering where life would take her next and feeling excited for the plans she was making. She was ready for the next day to come already; the trainer Ravus promised her would be there and Iris could finally start her efforts to improve her skills in earnest. Setting aside her daydreaming, Iris hopped up off the bed and grabbed Gladio's survival guide from the bookshelf where it had been sitting since the guys' arrival; if anything would help her pass the time, it would be reading, so she skipped off to the gardens to while away the rest of the day.


	7. Chapter 7

Iris woke up a full two hours before she had to meet the trainer Ravus had arranged for her; laying there in the dark, she couldn't imagine going back to sleep, so she got up and dressed herself, deciding that she might as well get a snack and then start warming up so she'd be ready to impress her teacher-to-be. Rummaging around in the palace larders turned up a number of rolls from the previous day and a string of sausages; stuffing a sausage into one of the rolls, Iris made her way to the dojo, which she knew would be empty for several hours yet, mentally patting herself on the back for her meal choice, knowing that Ignis would approve of the combination of protein and carbs, especially since her first choice was always whatever dessert was within reach.

After turning on all the lights in the training rooms, Iris started her warm up with a short jog around the gym's elevated track; she knew that she should start with dynamic stretching like Gladio always drilled into her head, but she was confident in her flexibility, and felt that she could skip it every now and then. What she really wished she could do was go for her run in the countryside beyond Insomnia's walls like she used to do when she was at home. She loved the feeling of fresh air on her face and the smells of all the flowers, grasses and trees, not to mention the feeling of being able to run forever without being confined to a track.

Today, she felt more than ever that she needed to get out of the city and far away from the restrictions placed on her by her father and the weight of their name. She had finished her run, but, like usual, the more she thought about her father, especially since she had just had a very irritating meeting with him, the angrier she got, and the more she felt like she needed to vent off those feelings. Hoisting one of the larger punching bags that hung against a back wall of the gym's weight room, Iris set to practicing the various jabs, kicks, and combos that her brother had taught her, hoping that she could work off some of her anger by the time she had to meet her new teacher; she didn't want to come off as hot-headed and reckless, or exhibit any qualities that might make her appear to be a liability in a field setting.

Iris soon lost herself in the repetitive sound of gloves hitting canvas, falling into a pattern of hooks and jabs that continued for some time, her other senses taking a backseat as she concentrated on maintaining proper technique. She could almost hear Gladio barking out instructions "Shoulders down! Keep your arms up!" he would yell "You're letting your fist flick out to the side when you strike, Iris! Make the force of your strike flow straight from your elbow, out through your knuckles!" She had learned how her limbs felt in space when he noted her proper technique, and had become vigilant about reproducing those movements exactly. She was so engrossed that she didn't notice when she was no longer alone in the room, until a woman's voice, calm and almost teasing, broke through her focus "If you hit demons like you hit that bag, you might not need me after all." Startled, Iris whipped around, and was almost knocked flat on her face by the backswing of the punching bag; fortunately, she had moved to the side just enough that it only glanced off her shoulder, sparing her the indignity of a fall, but still displacing her balance enough that took a hard step forward and dropped to one knee to compensate.

The owner of the voice was a tall woman with light green eyes and medium length dark grey hair that was gathered into a ponytail at the back of her head, with long bangs framing her face. She smiled a little at Iris' clumsy recovery, and held out her hand "Aranea Highwind. Commander Ravus brought me in to see that you're battle ready to go along on field missions." Iris took the offered hand and hopped to her feet, excitedly shaking it once she was back on her feet "Awesome! Yes, Ravus told me you were coming, but he didn't tell me anything about you. Thank you so much, I can't wait to get started."

The other woman smiled at Iris' eagerness "He didn't tell me anything about you, either. I was actually quite irritated that he asked me to come train you like a damned private tutor. I almost told him to go to hell, but he said you could be a good addition to either or both of our teams, so, I took him up on it; didn't know I'd be teaching a shield of the royal family." she said the last part with a joking lilt to her voice, feeling for where Iris stood on the topic of her family's obligations. Iris laughed somewhat bitterly, staring down at the toes of her boots, her fists lightly clenched "Girls of the Amicitia family aren't allowed to be shields; my father has made it very clear that he's not concerned with my path in life, he only cares about his duty to his king."

Aranea studied the girl, the look on her face a mixture of empathy and curiosity; she had only just met Iris, but she felt a kinship in her frustration. She grabbed her by the shoulders and bent her head a little to look Iris in the eye "Hey, look at me." she squeezed Iris' shoulders reassuringly "I know what it's like to be underestimated and overlooked just for the sake of your gender. The best thing you can do is completely ignore what everyone else wants and expects from you, and dedicate yourself to following a path that you are passionate about. I work for Nifleheim and Ravus because I am paid well and my skills are appreciated; my priorities lay outside the conflict between these two nations, and that erases anyone else's power over me, I can walk away whenever I want. Let me help you find your purpose." Aranea's words struck a chord in Iris, and she met her gaze with a grin "Let's do it!"

Aranea quickly discovered that even though Iris didn't have a preferred weapon, she could more than hold her own when it came to hand to hand combat. After a few intense rounds of sparring, Aranea tossed a towel at Iris and motioned for her to sit down and take a break "You definitely know how to use your fists," she laughed, taking a swig of water from the bottle she'd brought with her "I can tell you enjoy a good fight, too. Tell me though, what made you ask the high commander of an enemy empire to teach you how to fight beasts and demons? I'm sure there are other ways you could hone your skills that don't involve treason."

Iris frowned "I didn't really consider the treasonous aspect of it; I'd never do anything to hurt Noct or the kingdom. I chose Ravus because he can get me in and out of here without anyone knowing, he can also teach me things that Gladdy can't, especially now that my brother is gone. My father would be furious if he knew, but he also doesn't care about what I want as long as I stay out of his way and don't embarrass him." She shrugged, wiping the back of her neck with the towel "Ravus and his sister Lunafreya were once allies of Lucis, I guess I was drawn to him because of their story and how unfair it was that king Regis abandoned them, though I understand his reasoning. Now he's here, an unwanted stranger in a place that should have been his haven; I just wanted him to know that he had a friend here if he ever felt the need for one."

Aranea considered her words, studying Iris as the younger girl sat there, an unreadable look in her eye as she chose her own next words carefully "I can see why you'd want a way out of this life, you deserve far better than you've been given, and you have real skills that will make you great with some experience under your belt, but..." she paused, taking her time with how she formulated her following question "what exactly are you hoping Ravus will teach you?" Iris stamped the toe of her boot into the floor a couple times "His training in Nifleheim has been completely different from what I've learned here with my brother and friends. I know that he probably told you that I don't have my own weapon yet, which is in part due to my father refusing to allow for the possibility of me taking one out of the city to use it. Ravus can make it so I could try out any kind without my dad knowing, he knows about almost everything around here involving weapons and my training habits, so he'd definitely shut me down if I was on my own."

She looked up and caught the skeptical look Aranea was throwing her way and blushed without knowing why "Why-what did you think I wanted from him?" the woman smirked at Iris' naiveté, "So, you _only_ want to learn combat skills from him? It has nothing to do with the fact that he's tall, handsome, and brooding with a tragic back story?" She stared at the girl pointedly, causing the other's eyes to grow wide under her scrutiny."Y-you don't think that I-" she faltered a bit, trying to maintain her composure "that I'm interested in him like _that_?" Aranea laughed at her discomfort "I don't think you can tell me you aren't and keep a straight face! I don't blame you, he's pretty _and_ interesting, can't go wrong with that combination. Don't worry though, I won't tell him." At her last words, Iris straightened her back and declared haughtily "There's nothing for you to tell!" she then fixed Aranea with a suspicious eye "Besides, when you walked in, I thought maybe YOU two were involved."

The woman let out a peal of laughter at her accusing tone "Hardly! I would never get involved with someone I do business with, it's a rule of mine. Besides, I'll have you know that I'm already...attached." Iris had stood by that time and now stuck out her chest in a determined fashion "Well that makes it easy, I have business with him, too, so I'll follow your example and our interactions will be nothing but professional." Aranea let out another laugh, though this time it was more like a cackle "Oh no, no. You sweet innocent child! Your relationship is hardly one of a business nature; you've asked him to be your teacher, I don't think you understand the feelings that can develop between two people in that situation when even a hint of attraction is present." She gathered up her gear and walked to the door "It's time I was going, I don't want to alert anyone's suspicions with my presence here. This will be interesting, Iris Amicitia, I look forward to getting to know you better." With a smile and a wink, she was gone, leaving Iris to think about what she'd said.

Tidying up the sparring room only took a few minutes, and Iris was heading for the bath house that stood next to the dojo. Soon she was stripping off her damp, sweaty clothes and sinking into the steaming hot water. With a damp washcloth folded over her forehead and eyes, she leaned back on the edge of the communal spa, thankful that she was one of the few who used the women's bathhouse, and that it was a quiet time of day, so she could be sure that no one would come in for hours. Letting the heat sink into her skin, she thought about what Aranea had told her; _"Does she really think I'm interested in Ravus romantically? She was probably just teasing, she seems like the type who would get a kick out of messing with someone like that"_ Iris reached up flipped her washcloth, putting the cooler side over her eyes and sank back again _"She's not wrong about him being attractive though. He's SO tall; I'd say maybe even taller than Gladdy. He has pretty lips, and eyes too, I'll bet his hair is super soft..."_ her thoughts wandered to what it would be like to run her fingers through his ashen locks _"It's fine though_ ," she thought confidently _"he doesn't see me like that. I'm sure he wouldn't even be able to tell the color of my eyes if someone asked. Oh man, I can't wait to watch him fight"_ Iris hugged her knees to her chest tightly, a slight blush spreading across her cheeks _"I'll bet he's terrifying."_ The idea alone of the high commander wreaking havoc on a slew of beasts was enough to drive her out of the bath and into the shower room to douse herself in cold water.

Even before she'd been allowed to join in, Iris had loved watching Gladio train Noctis and company; Noct was always so handsome, and she was in awe of his ability to wield a wide range of weapon types, from a light sword to a huge double handed axe. Even though he wasn't yet in possession of many of the Lucian kings' relic weapons, he had to train to ensure his ability to use them when the time came. Ignis was all about strategy; whether he was using his daggers or a spear, he was always on the lookout for ways to maximize both his advantages, and his enemies' weaknesses. Prompto was more of a wild card. The one thing that could be depended on, was that he would always be as flashy and over the top as possible, blinding opponents with the flash from his camera, and taking selfies in the middle of a fight, there wasn't much that he took seriously. Iris was always fascinated by how they worked together despite their vast differences in style and technique; they all kept a constant eye on each other, always ready to provide support if one of them was struggling. It made her feel left out and a little useless that she couldn't throw a potion or two at the very least.

Gasping and shivering under the onslaught of the cold water cascading over her head, Iris hopped out of the shower and quickly dried off, throwing her clothes on and heading back to her room, feeling incredibly refreshed and in a clearer headspace than she had just moments before.

Deciding to have lunch sent up to her room instead of poking through the pantries on her own, Iris plopped down on her bed when she got there and texted her order to the head chef; they had grown to be on excellent terms since Iris had first come to visit the palace, and she would bring fresh herbs from the gardens back home, and always made sure that the guys cleaned up after themselves at the end of each meal. After receiving a cheerful confirmation, Iris lazily flipped through her text messages, smiling at all the pictures Prompto had sent her over the course of their communications; Noctis hugging a chocobo, Gladio reading in the backseat of the Regalia while Ignis drove, and Ignis himself holding up various dishes that he had created while they were on the road. She was tempted to feel lonely and left behind for a short minute, until she reminded herself that she had new and exciting things going on for herself. Scrolling through her contacts, Iris halted over Ravus' name; she debated the wisdom of texting him again, knowing that he was probably busy with important political errands, and that it was a bad idea to foster direct communication between the two of them, on account of the need to avoid suspicion, but she explained it away, reasoning that it was important that he know how things went between her and the trainer he had chosen for her. She typed up a quick message and sent it off before she could talk herself out of it.

Lessons were awesome 2day! U were right, Aranea is gr8. cant w8 to learn more from her.

Ravus must not have had any pressing matters to attend to at that very moment, because he wrote back fairly quickly:

I'm glad you enjoyed meeting her. Aranea is truly an excellent fighter and teacher. You will learn much training with her.

Iris rolled onto her stomach, kicking her feet in the air and wondering if she should press him to tell her when she would be allowed to leave the city with them. She just wanted an excuse to talk to him, she was fully aware of that, but wasn't sure how to do so without being obvious. "To hell with it," she thought "I'm bored and if I want to know something, I should ask." Not wanting to pester Ravus about field missions just then, she decided to take a different angle:

Will I eventually get 2 train w/u?

His answer was again reasonably prompt, responding:

Aranea is the one who will teach you while you remain in the city. You'll join me or the both of us when she decides you are ready.

Iris groaned, knowing that she probably sounded like a spoiled child, pestering him when they both had better things to do. She shored up her courage however, and sent one last message, framing her request in the most logical way she could:

But don't u think I should learn how u fight b4 we go on field missions in order for us 2 work together best? Besides, Aranea is almost my size I wanna practice on someone bigger 2. Almost everything out there is bigger than me, and ur huge, It would be good practice

The little dots that indicate when the other person is typing appeared and disappeared several times before she got a reply. She nibbled on a fingernail, worried that she wouldn't get the answer she was looking for, when her phone beeped and his message was displayed across the screen:

You make a good point about us needing to learn how to work together before venturing out, but doing so in the palace is very dangerous and will have to be carefully arranged. Once Aranea is satisfied with your performance, we will arrange a time when you and I can train. This will only be possible one or two times before we start the real missions; any more would be too much of a risk.

Rolling onto her back and punching the air in victory, Iris tapped out a quick response: Thats perfect! Thank u!

She thought for a minute; she didn't like not having an exact time for when she could look forward to seeing him again. Again swayed by her desire for his attention, she made her decision and sent off another short message:

Making lemon sponge cake next week. Would u b interested in trying?

His last response was concise: I would like that.

Feeling incredibly self-satisfied, Iris sat up on the edge of her bed and stretched her arms up over her head, punching the air a few times, before dropping them just in time for there to be a knock at the door; her food had arrived and she realized that she was hungry enough to eat a whole cow.


	8. Chapter 8

Iris' lesson with Aranea were going wonderfully; she was learning new skills as well as honing the ones she already possessed. It had been several days since they last met, and Iris was already excited for her next lesson the following morning; she was, at that moment, sitting on her bed, having just returned from her usual training time, her legs hanging off the edge, and wondering how she could occupy the remainder of her day, grumbling to herself about how lame it was that all of her regular activities had to happen before daylight. She wasn't a morning person, and since she had a habit of staying up late video chatting with Prompto most nights, they were starting to wear on her. On one hand, a nap would be really nice, but she knew that taking one would make sleeping that night even harder.

Kicking her feet a few times as she considered her options, and remembered Noctis' goodbye gift to her. Hopping up off the bed, she went over to her desk and took out the small box that held the handcrafted fishing lure that the prince had made for her. Twirling the colorful object in her fingers, she decided that now was as good a time as any to start practicing her fishing skills to show off to him next time they saw each other. She quickly packed up her fishing pole, line, and tackle box, making sure to tuck Noct's lure safely in with the others.

Now to decide where to go; there were several stocked ponds in the royal garden that were more than suitable, but Iris felt like she had spent enough time cooped up inside the palace walls, and she desperately needed a change of scenery. She remembered Noctis had mentioned once that he liked fishing for Lucian catfish at the Crown City ports, and so she shouldered her rod and scooped up her tackle box, making for the door. Just as she was reaching for the doorknob, she hesitated, and then turned back, grabbing the selfie stick Prompto had given her off the place on her desk that it had occupied since she had received it _"Might as well try this thing out and send the guys a few pictures if I have a successful fishing trip,"_ she thought, tucking it into a side pocket of the tackle box.

As she made her way out of the palace, Iris took her phone out and begrudgingly sent her father a short text, telling him what she was up to; knowing that if she didn't, any Kingsglaives or Crownsguard she met along the way out who recognized her, would hold her up until they heard from Clarus that she was allowed to leave. She smilingly waved to the soldiers stationed at every gate on that lead out of the palace and to the city, while mentally glaring and giving them all the finger for being so eager to please her father. She knew that if it was Gladio, he'd be able to come and go as he pleased, and all the soldiers, Crownsguard and Kingslaive alike, would be pissing themselves to get on his good side. _"And he's such a peacock, he'd probably love it, too."_ she grumbled to herself, though she had to admit, it would probably be the same way if she had an older, hot sister, and that would be equally infuriating.

Walking through the streets of Insomnia reminded Iris of how exciting city life could be, and how much she enjoyed it. There was a street fair happening in one of the marketplaces just outside the docks, and she decided to look it over before she began her fishing. Perusing through stalls of food and flower vendors, trinkets and games, she wished that her guys could be there to enjoy it with her, and laughed quietly to herself as she imagined what each of them would be doing; Gladio would be shamelessly flirting with any girl he deemed remotely attractive, while Prompto spent his time jealously taking notes as well as dashing here and there to look at everything and take pictures of everyone. Ignis would undoubtedly be combing through the stands of fresh produce, meat and fish for strange new ingredients to create unique dishes out of, while Iris followed closely behind; and finally, Noct would be awkwardly tagging along, being dragged this way and that by each of his companions in turn, and would end the night holding a ridiculous balloon or wearing a gaudy, themed shirt or hat one of them forced on him. Strangely, he never complained about their antics, and when asked, would just shrug and smile sheepishly, saying he really didn't mind it all. The images of it all made Iris' heart happy and full, even while it carried an aftertaste of sadness because it wasn't actually happening; she bushed it off however, choosing to focus on the joyful parts as she made her way up and down the market rows.

Coming upon the food vendors, she spotted a cotton candy stand; the man running it was spinning the sugary threads into fantastic colorful shapes like flowers and animals. Seizing the opportunity for a fun picture to send to Prompto, Iris bought the biggest pink, green and yellow flower he offered. Pulling out her brand new selfie stick, she held the flower up to her face, winking and sticking out her tongue. She took several shots in various poses, deciding to pick her favorite when she was done, realizing how much she loved Prompto's gift. As she was taking her last shot, Iris happened to look beyond her phone, and spied someone she recognized, walking with someone she did NOT recognize. Dodging behind a flower stall, she crouched low and peeked out from her hiding place.

There was Aranea, in civilian dress (which, to her, was no weapon and only slightly less armor), casually strolling down the market street with her arm slung around the shoulders of a petite blonde. The other woman was shorter than Aranea, and wore a trucker hat, cropped yellow jacket, short shorts, and white cowgirl boots; Iris had no idea who this woman was, she'd never laid eyes on her before in her life, but it appeared that Iris' new teacher knew her very well. As they drew closer, she could hear them happily chatting and laughing together about random, nonspecific subjects until the blonde caught site of the flowers "Oh babe, look!" she cried out. Iris ducked back out of sight and crawled around the corner of the stall as she heard them approaching "Sunflowers, my favorite!" she squealed, rubbing her hands together "And they're selling them in such huge bundles! You do know they're my favorite?" Iris heard Aranea laugh in a teasingly annoyed way "You're not subtle at all, Cin," she said, and then to the vendor "We'll take three bundles. Wrap them all up in one, I don't want my girlfriend to be able to hold anything else." The man laughed and agreed, and soon they were walking into Iris' path of vision again, "Cin" weighed down under a humungous bouquet of sunflowers, and Aranea with her arm hanging loosely around her waist, thumb stuck in her belt loop, refusing to lift a finger to help, except to guide her and keep her from tripping, and laughing at the other's happy complaints.

Iris watched them disappear down a side street and sank into a sitting position on the sidewalk, a slow smile spreading across her face until she wore a grin a mile wide. _"So she DOES have someone!"_ she thought gleefully, her brain working overtime, processing this new information _"She hinted at it, but I didn't know that she had a girlfriend. I wonder if I should ask her about it...CAN I ask her about it? They seem so happy, I wonder how they got together."_ Scrambling to her feet, Iris gathered her things, discarding the remains of the cotton candy she had been impulsively stuffing her face with as she spied on her teacher, and continued on her way to her original destination.

The docks were uncharacteristically quiet for a sunny, midday afternoon, but Iris was happy for it; she wasn't the most experienced fisherman, and didn't want anyone to see if she did poorly. She fitted her rod with a strong line and sorted through her lures, settling on a shiny tonberry, as it was the kind Lucian catfish were most attracted by; she was too fond of the lure Noctis had given her to risk losing it to an eager fish, even though that was its purpose. _"I probably won't ever actually use it"_ she thought to herself affectionately _"it's much too precious."_ She gave the rod a few experimental casts before attaching the weight, and giving it a strong cast, sending it far out into the deep, sparkling blue water. The fish bit well all afternoon, and she enjoyed herself immensely, passing the time catching fish and throwing them back into the water.

"I caught almost enough to feed Gladdy today" she giggled to herself as she packed her tackle away "the guys would be super proud of how well I did, and Iggy would make something delicious out of them all." Realizing that she hadn't actually sent any of the day's photos to Prompto, she took a few minutes to upload them to the shared album that he had set up for the group; any photos that were sent to the album would automatically end up on each of their phones, and she wouldn't have to remind him to show the others. After doing so, Iris paused for a moment, spinning her phone between her thumb and forefinger thoughtfully trying to make a decision; with a short nod, she tapped out a caption with for her selfie "Exploring the street festival!" and sent it to Ravus. Her stomach churned almost immediately after sending the photo, but she quickly dismissed it _"I'm just being friendly. I don't even care if he answers, I just hope it brightens his day."_ She told herself, more to calm her nerves than anything else.

The sun was dipping below the horizon as Iris entered the palace once again; it wasn't quite her usual bedtime, but she was happily tired and just wanted to curl up in bed and read herself to sleep. As soon as she got to her room, she wasted no time in stripping down to her underwear and crawling under her covers with one of her favorite romance murder mysteries and a bag of jerky; she was getting to her favorite part: the hero had thrown himself in front of a bullet to protect the woman he loved, and she was cleaning and bandaging his wound. The scene was filled with longing glances and heated touching of fingers until they couldn't take it anymore and he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in to kiss her with passionate hunger.

Iris blushed deeply and squirmed her way deeper into the nest she'd made of her bed with a strangled squeal; it didn't matter how many times she read that part, it got her every single time. She yearned to know what it was like to have someone desire her that much and take such a strong, confident approach in letting her know. As she read through the passage once again, Iris pictured herself in the heroine's place, imagining what it would feel like to have two big, strong hands gripping her around her waist and pulling her in close. It was at first the story's hero that advanced on her, but, as she played it over and over again in her head, his features changed; his hair became lighter and longer, his nose narrowed, and soon she was breathless, clutched tightly in the arms of the high commander himself. Iris groaned audibly, poking her head more fully out of her blankets _"Nooooo this isn't helping! I shouldn't be thinking of him like this!"_ she inwardly scolded herself _"How am I supposed to have any hope of being a competent squad mate when I'm constantly imagining being manhandled by my superior officer."_ She knew she should stop herself right there, and get up to go for a run or another cold shower, whatever she could do to cool off, but the fact of the matter was that she didn't _want_ to.

Slipping back under her covers, Iris went back to her daydream; Ravus once again had her by the waist and was pulling her tightly against his body, his thumbs rubbing across her ribs, and just barely brushing against the undersides of her breasts. Iris had been pressing her thighs together as hard as she could, but at that point, it wasn't enough anymore, and she slipped a hand into her underwear, rubbing a finger through the wetness of her arousal. She imagined Ravus leaning in and whispering something in her ear, his hot breath on her cheek and neck, raising it in gooseflesh while she draped her arms loosely around his neck, her cheeks flushed and her eyes cast down. Iris slid her free hand over her stomach and up under her bra, gripping one breast lightly just as a finger from the other hand found her clitoris, making her breath hitch. She pictured the high commander sliding his hands down from her waist and gripping her ass firmly before hoisting her up to wrap her legs around his waist; she whimpering quietly, thinking about him lightly kissing his way across her collar bone, and pausing to nestle his face in the hollow between her breasts.

Iris began to press her fingers more firmly into her sensitive flesh as she squirmed under her own touch; she imagined Ravus pressing himself into her, his own arousal grinding against hers, giving her a taste of the friction she craved so desperately. She focused on that pressure as her own movements picked up speed, carrying her to her peak and then pushing her over it, the euphoria washing over her in waves. As she came down from her high, Iris giggled to herself, feeling slightly ashamed at what she had just done, but not regretful in the least. Yawning happily, she snuggled down into her pillows and was about to fall asleep when her phone buzzed. Squinting at the screen she saw the sender and quickly read the short message:

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself.

Waking up in excellent spirits despite it still being pitch black outside, Iris bounced out of bed and dressed herself hastily, eager for her next lesson with Aranea. She had been looking forward to training with the dragoon again even though it hadn't been long since their last lesson; something about the woman made Iris want to be just like her, perhaps it was her attitude of not caring about anyone's opinion of her, combined with the fact that she was so honest and genuine with Iris, taking her under her wing to help her be the very best version of herself instead of tearing her down like others in her position might. There was also the matter of what Iris had witnessed in the marketplace; she wanted so badly to ask how Aranea had met Cindy, and how they had come to be lovers, but she was afraid it was too early in their friendship to admit that she had spied on them without making her presence known, not the mention the fact that she and Aranea really didn't know each other well yet. On one hand, Aranea could be completely fine with it, laughing at Iris' hesitation to introduce herself and then promise to introduce them, or she could be annoyed at Iris for hiding, and consider it a violation of her privacy. Iris chewed on a fingernail. trying to decide how to proceed, ultimately deciding that if Aranea referenced her relationship at all, that would signify her willingness to share that part of her life with Iris.

On her usual pre-workout dig through the pantries, Iris came across a batch of sweet rolls, and tucked several in her gym bag to share with Aranea later; having inherited the Amicitia appetite, she was always looking for conveniently sized snacks that she could hide away here and there for whenever she got hit with those random hunger pangs. She'd gotten a later start than usual that day and was already famished, but, not wanting to eat a heavy meal and risk cramping up during her lessons, Iris opted for a one of her thrown-together smoothies that just consisted of yogurt and a handful or two of fresh fruit. She thought about how much she'd rather be eating breakfast with Ravus in his office again, but cheered herself with the reminder that she would be doing just that in several day's time when she fulfilled her promise of bringing him his favorite cake.

Iris got to the dojo at the same time as Aranea, and they exchanged happy high-fives before going in and prepping for the day's workout. Iris remembered her previous decision to refrain from asking about Aranea's girlfriend unless she specifically alluded to her relationship, but now as she sat on the floor helping Aranea stretch her hamstrings, with the other chatting away about how incompetent the group of imperials who had accompanied her on a recent mission had been, and how she was looking forward to having Iris on her team, Iris petulantly worried that she'd never mention it. She tried dropping hints here and there to coax Aranea into giving some small detail that she could go off, but the woman stubbornly refused to understand her meaning; Iris even asked her what she had done over the weekend, but all she got was a breezy story about shopping in the marketplace and doing maintenance on her weapons and armor.

Realizing that she had no other option, Iris said it bluntly while they were taking a break from sparring and going for a quick run around the track "I saw you, by the way." Aranea gave her a bemused look before laughingly asking "Saw me what?" Iris shrugged, trying her best to give an impression of indifference, and not quite managing it "In the market place with your girlfriend." Aranea slowed to a stop and stood there studying Iris, her expression impossible to read "And? I'm sure that's not all you have to say." Iris saw that she had been misunderstood and rushed to correct her error "I only mentioned it because I've been dying to ask you how you met; I don't know the first thing about romance and sharing those kinds of feelings, and you two look so happy together, that I wanted to know your story." Aranea leaned her head to the side, her expression quizzical but softening as she saw that Iris was trying to connect with her on a deeper level and bare her own heart "Oh Iris, you really don't know anything about romance do you?" She said, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder. Iris shook her head no, smiling shyly "That's why I'm asking you. I know we barely know each other, and this probably sounds weird, but I'm starting to think of you as kind of like the older sister I always wanted. Sorry if that's weird." She added the last part sheepishly, realizing that she might have gotten ahead of herself, and turned to start jogging again.

Aranea quickly caught up to her "Hey, that wasn't weird at all. I appreciate that you trust me, and I'd love to be your big sister," she paused for a second before adding "I've never had any siblings. Always wanted 'em though. You'll have to teach me how to be a good one." Iris grinned mischievously "You could start by telling me about how you met your girlfriend!" Aranea gave her an exasperated groan "Fine. I'll tell you if you calm down, it's not even that big a deal." Iris was practically bouncing by that time "It's a big deal to me! I never get to hear about actual romance. Do you know what it's like to have a slutty older brother? There's nothing useful to be learned there, I need a woman's perspective!" She received a playful hip bump for her enthusiasm "Alright, let's go sit down."

Thank you to everyone who's commented! It means a lot to me!


	9. Chapter 9

"It was about two years ago now, I had just gotten a few new mods installed on my motorcycle here in Insomnia, this was before my involvement with Nifleheim, and was passing through Leide on my way out; for some reason I didn't fill my tank in the Capital City, no idea why, just didn't think about it. I wasn't even close to empty, really, just saw the sign for the Hammerhead garage and had the impulse to stop." A faraway look had come over Aranea's face as she recounted the story "You've seen Cindy, she's striking, impossible to miss; when I pulled in, I saw her talking to this tall, rugged-looking guy, tattoos, a few scars, looked like the kind I'd take home for a fun time, but not hold on to for too long." Here, Aranea laughed a little and shook her head in disbelief, with a slight bit of smugness, and when pressed by Iris to explain what she meant, continued: "I thought for sure that Cindy was into the guy; he wasn't the type a girl passes on easily." "Sounds like my idiot brother," Iris interrupted with an annoyed grumble "women have the hardest time saying no to him."

Aranea merely laughed at Iris' mutterings "Anyway, I decided to watch, thinking for sure that I was witnessing a hook up in progress; she was smiling, touching his arm, giving every signal you could ask for that she was interested. Now, one thing you should know about Cyn is that, despite the sunshine-y exterior and bouncy personality, she is completely ruthless; the woman has never been with a dude in her life, completely uninterested in them on that level, but she's shameless when it comes to charming them and getting them to do what she wants. She has this accent she puts on around the male clients that come to her for customizing their vehicles, she sounds like a dumb, backwoods hick, and the men eat that shit up, and spend exponentially more on mods and decals than they normally would anywhere else, thinking they've for sure got a shot.

Don't get me wrong, Cyn is absolutely top shelf with the work she does, no one is better than her, but she feels, and I can't disagree, that if dudes are going to hit on her repeatedly while she's just doing her job, she's going to take them for whatever she can." Iris nodded silently, not wanting to comment and distract the other woman from her story. "I've gotten a little off-topic," Aranea said with a little laugh "Where was I? Oh yeah, so I'm watching this whole thing happen, cause I'm nosy, thinking 'Cool, she'd totally going to give him her number and this is gonna happen. Well apparently, this guy's car was done, and he was just picking it up, so he goes in for the kill, asking something like 'Wanna get outta here or something?' and she just hits him with 'Nah thanks, darlin', your paint ain't the kind I wanna polish.'"

"So, dude is stunned, never expected to be outright rejected like that, and he's still standing there, trying to pinpoint exactly where he went wrong, when the sultry little minx saunters over to me, tells me I look hungry, grabs my hand and practically drags me to the diner next door. I had no clue she had even seen me, so I was just as stunned as the guy she stonewalled, I just went along with it. We had an amazing time having lunch together, talking about literally everything, and when we're done, a few hours later, she tells me that I just shouldn't leave, that I should stay indefinitely. So, here we are, going just as strong as the day we met, and I couldn't be happier. Of course I left eventually to pursue my own interests, and she stayed to enjoy her work, but I always come back to her, no matter what."

Iris clasped her hands together "That is the sweetest story I've ever heard! I want to meet her even more now, when can I?" Aranea gave the girl a playful shove "I've told her about you and she already wants to meet you too, I think you guys would really like each other, she's always complaining about us not having any friends together; maybe once his 'high commanderness' decides you can leave the palace with us, I'll take you to Hammerhead and you can meet each other." Iris jumped to her feet "Alright then! In that case, let's get me ready to impress him! I'm bringing him cake later this week, so I'll ask him then, too." Aranea pounced on that information immediately "You're bringing him what?" she asked, spinning around to face the girl, instantly interested, a look of gleeful delight on her face "Oh, shut up," Iris said, folding her arms defensively "they're his favorite, he told me a while back." Aranea's grin was growing larger with each word "Oh, his favorite? You know his favorite pastries, now? And you're still lying to yourself, and me, about how it's all 'just friendly' hm?"

The younger girl rolled her eyes "Whatever! I AM just being friendly, and you're being ridiculous, thinking this is something it's not. I'm just trying to get some training and get out in the field, and that's all; if I have to bake a cake and be nice to get it I will." Aranea snorted "Alright, if that's how you want to play it, that's fine by me, but I can't wait to say 'I told you so' when it turns out I'm right."

Grabbing their gloves, the two spent the next hour good-naturedly trying to wreck each other, resulting in two very tired, and very happy girls, laughing together as they put away their gear; "You better tell me all about this dessert business," Aranea said, giving Iris a playful shove "I have to make sure the high commander treats my little protégé with the utmost respect!" She turned away, hiding her face so the other wouldn't see the look of delighted mischief there "Maybe I should have a chat with him first…" Iris' face flushed a deep crimson "Nooooooo!" she wailed, "If you do that he's gonna doubt my intentions! He might even take back his offer to let me come with you guys!" Aranea turned back around, her own cheeks flushed from suppressing her laughter "I'm sorry, I couldn't help it," she chuckled, then, patting Iris on the back reassuringly: "I have no intention of meddling in your affairs, Iris, don't worry. I want you with us, I'd never do anything to jeopardize that."

Iris nodded, taking a deep breath and calming her heartbeat that had quickened in her panic "I should have known that," she said sheepishly, embarrassed that Aranea had gotten a rise out of her so easily, and knowing that it didn't give any weight to her claims of only wanting to know Ravus in a platonic sense. "But I will tell you how it goes. I asked if he would train me here himself some time, and he said he might, but more than once would be too much of a risk." Aranea's eyes were glittering with all this new information "Oh so you're in steady contact, huh?" She asked, making an overt effort to sound casual "Good, that way we can both pester him about getting you out of here. I'm going to talk to him next time we have a briefing and tell him you're ready, I can't think of anything else I need to prep you for." Iris bounced up on her toes, throwing a few victory punches in the air "Yes! I am so ready!" she yelled "Let me get out there and kill stuff with you!" Aranea just stood there shaking her head and laughing at Iris' antics "You definitely know how to get what you want, little Amicitia."

It wasn't long before Iris once again found herself in the kitchens several hours before the sun would even think about showing itself, and once again she was cursing herself for staying up too late the night before talking to Prompto. She had gone through her nightly routine and crawled into bed with plenty of time to play with her phone and think over the events of the day as was her habit and part of her evening rituals, when she'd gotten a text from her favorite fluffy-haired chocobo lover. Part of her had wanted to just fall asleep and not even read his message, but Prompto was always so happy to chat with her, and usually had a great story to tell about their progress so far, and she always had a great time as they talked deep into the night; all those reasons aside, she simply hated to ignore Prompto, and had rolled over with a groan to check her messages.

It was a direct message instead of in their group conversation where the other three could see what they were talking about; he wanted her to call him so they could talk instead of texting back and forth. Prompto often did that when he wanted to talk to Iris about something that the other guys were likely to tease him about. He was in rare form that evening, and wanted to tell her all about a girl he had met in Leide at the Hammerhead garage. It was apparently not the first time the group had met this girl, but he hadn't mentioned her to Iris before then, probably because he had been too embarrassed, but they had gone to this girl numerous times for repairs to the Regalia, and he was now brave, and apparently infatuated enough, that he turned to his best friend to talk about it.

"She's gorgeous, Iris, beautiful blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and wears a jacket the color of a chocobo; you remember how much I love chocobos, right? She's amazing and knows so much about vehicles; she even got us a slick set of decals for the car. And she has this adorable country accent, you'd love her!" Iris groaned internally, not wanting to dampen her friends excitement, but also wanting to avoid encouraging his feelings, which she knew were pointless; "That's great," she told him, doing her best to sound supportive, but not too excited, "Gladdy hasn't tried to steal her from you has he?" She asked, in hopes that her brother's notorious habit of flirting with everyone he deemed remotely attractive, would kill Prompto's hopes.

"You know, it's weird," he told her "usually Gladio would have been all over a girl like her, but I don't think I've seen them even glance at each other. She seems to like Iggy best, the bastard, they're always laughing and talking about random shit, but I think I still have a chance." Iris smiled, she knew exactly why this girl, who she knew without a doubt was Aranea's girlfriend Cindy, preferred Ignis' company to any of the others. Besides the fact that Cindy was not interested in men at all, Ignis was the most respectful and unthreatening of the group.

Gladio was a notorious flirt, any woman with even a hint of common sense would be able to see that a mile away; Prompto on the other hand, while always having the best of intentions, wasn't the best at picking up on social cues, and could rapidly become very annoying. Noctis was a completely different story; while being quite handsome, and fully able to carry a conversation without becoming overly flirtatious, or cocky, he did have a tendency to become easily bored or distracted, giving the other person the impression that he was arrogant and rude. Ignis was charming, polite, and interesting, and gave off an air of kind approachability that he could put anyone one at ease without difficulty.

"Do you know how this 'Cindy' feels about you, Prompto?" Iris asked, Wanting to investigate the situation more thoroughly before deciding how to discourage him, "Do you think she's interested?" there was silence on the other end for a few minutes, telling her that he was thinking it over "Well, I don't think she _dis_ likes me," he said finally "more like she hasn't gotten the chance to get to know me yet. We've only talked a few times, and she was pretty friendly; I think she thought I was funny." Iris grinned, any concerns she had for his behavior erased by his earnestness "I think you should try to be friends with her, bud, and then see how that goes. You're an awesome friend and she'd be lucky to know you that well."

She could almost hear the gears in his head turning "You really think she'd wanna be friends? I do always try my best to be a good one, and I think Noct would say I am, so if both of you think so, then I must be?" Iris couldn't help but let out a small, sympathetic laugh "Of course she are Prompto! If she doesn't, then she has no idea what she's missing out on." She could hear his spirits lifting in the way the excitement came back to his voice again "Thanks, Iris! You're the best, I knew it was a good idea to talk to you about this. Now, I've been talking a lot about my own stuff, what's new with you? We all loved the pictures from the street fair, wish we could have been there with you!"

"I've been pretty good," she answered, wanting to tell him as much as she could without giving away the sensitive parts "I made a new friend to train with actually, she's one of the Crownsguard, and we've been sparring occasionally." She hated lying to him, but she knew he wouldn't understand or be ok with the fact that she was spending time with people who they logically shouldn't trust. "That's awesome! He yelled "I'm going to tell Gladio that you don't even need him to keep up with your training, he's going to hate it!" They spent the rest of their chat laughing about all the antics the guys had been up to, and discussing everything they would do when they met again, until Iris noticed the time and scolded Prompto for keeping them both up so late; they then said their cheery goodbyes and hung up. Iris lay there, motionless in the dark for some time, dreading the fact that she had to get up early in order to carry out her plans with Ravus. It was worth it though, she told herself, she would get to see him again, and this time, she'd make him give her an exact time that she could expect for him to train with her and then start on field missions. Her musings didn't last long though, she was truly tired, and her eyes soon fell closed as sleep overtook her.

" _Back in the kitchen again!"_ Iris thought to herself as she measured and poured out her ingredients _"Who would have guessed that I'd be baking my way into a position on an enemy commander's squad?"_ the idea made her smirk a little; her, an Amicitia, running around the Lucian wilderness with a former Tenebraen prince, killing demons for the empire. _"Dad would have an aneurysm if he knew"_ she told herself with a fierce kind of joy, enjoying the prospect of provoking him to so much; the feeling quickly gave way to a shudder of apprehension _"He'd probably be so angry that he'd want to kill Ravus, Aranea AND me. Best hope he never hears of it."_ She hastily discarded the idea, not wanting it's unpleasantness to put a damper on enjoying her current occupation. The lemon sponge cake was a much less complicated project than the macarons had been; it was a simple recipe, and didn't require the technical skills of baking sylleblossoms into it, only a drizzle of frosting and she was done.

It was much easier smuggling the cake in its small paper parcel than the box of macarons, and Iris swiftly made her way to Ravus' office, brimming with excitement, both at seeing him again, and to find out when she would be able to accompany him on a mission. She made it to his door, entirely without incident, making her wonder that the area around his office was always so vacant; beside the attendant she had run into the first time she had made the journey, she had never encountered another soul in that corridor. After several quick raps, the door swung open, and Iris felt a warm tingle in her cheeks and the pit of her stomach at the sight of the high commander; framed in the low doorway, he appeared larger than ever, making Iris feel incredibly small next to him. Her admiration only lasted a moment as he ushered her quickly into the room, making sure she wasn't seen, and closed it behind them.

Twirling around to face him, Iris held out her package "Cake for the high commander!" she sang out cheerfully, standing up on her toes. Ravus gave her one of his rare smiles that barely looked like a smile, but made Iris' heart flutter all the same, and took it from her, motioning her over to the desk where their breakfast was already spread out, just like the last time she had been there. He set the cake down next to the meal "I hope you're planning on having some of this too," he told her "it would be quite rude of me to eat such a generous gift without at least offering to share it with you." Iris grinned up at him "Of course I will! But I'm really hungry, can we eat breakfast first?"

They made quick work of the food, neither of them saying much until they had both eaten their fill and set the remains aside. Ravus began cutting the cake and setting out their portions, casting an eye on Iris as she sat upright on the edge of her chair, hands folded tightly in her lap, and eyes shining with excitement, as she watched him expectantly. "Go ahead," the sound of his voice made her gaze jump to his "I know you're dying to ask, so go on." She visibly twisted in her seat, hands clasping and unclasping, an excited smile on her face "Have you talked to Aranea yet? Can I go with you outside the city now?" her words came tumbling out all over each other in her eagerness.

Ravus took a bite of his cake and leaned back in his chair, surveying her with a flat expression that hinted at amusement, but only around his eyes "Oh. I thought you wanted to train with me once or twice before leaving the palace, but I suppose you would want to leave as soon as possible" Iris' eyes got big; was he actually teasing her? "O-oh! Yes, I absolutely still want to. I just thought that maybe your talk with Aranea would change your mind and you'd say I didn't need it after all." He nodded slowly "Yes, I spoke to Aranea at length, and she had nothing but praise for your performance so far, but I think that I would like to make my own assessment as well. Is that agreeable to you?" Iris had been squirming around in her chair as he spoke; becoming still when he posed his question to her, she thought for a second before answering "I would very much like that, but then can I go with you? I understand the need for caution, but I really want to get started."

This time, Ravus actually gave her a smile; it was small and just barely lifted the corners of his mouth, but it was a smile nonetheless, and Iris took it as a good sign. "I think that is completely reasonable," he said "how about tonight?" Iris squeaked out in alarm "Tonight? As in a couple hours? This tonight?" he shrugged at her incredulity "Of course, we can schedule for a later date, but I have several expeditions into Leide soon, and I thought the faster we get you out there, the better. That is, if you want to." She nodded vigorously and jumped to her feet "Yeah! That would be great!" she chattered away "That's really soon, though, I should probably go and start preparing." Ravus reached out across the table as she was turning to go, grabbing her wrist and arresting her movement "I don't mean to detain you," the feeling of his skin against hers alone was enough to stop Iris in her tracks, "but I'm afraid you can't go quite yet, There will be several patrols of guards passing through the hallways around here for a while," he let go of her and leaned back again "I had anticipated that you would be here a little longer. Would you mind waiting just a few more minutes?"

Iris nodded and happily plopped back down in her chair, a little giddy at the fact that Ravus had just touched her for the first time, but doing her best not to be obvious about how it had affected her. "So! What are you going to be testing me on tonight?" she asked, wanting to be as prepared as possible, especially since she had so little time to do so. Ravus thought for a moment "Aranea said that you are exceptionally good at sparring, so perhaps I will start there." It was all Iris could do to keep her internal screaming from escaping and really letting him know how she felt about that idea.

Her mind was quickly turning into a storm of different scenarios of how this training session would go; she couldn't imagine how she would deal with them having to touch each other repeatedly and forcefully. Such thoughts made her brain start to swim, but before she could formulate a calm and coherent reply, he continued "Aranea and I rarely go on the same missions, so you'll alternate between the two of us most of the time. Also, she won't be in attendance tonight; I decided that it would be too much of a risk for us both to be in the palace at once. Would you be alright with that?"

His question took Iris a bit by surprise "Yeah, of course, that's fine. Why would it not be?" he leaned an elbow on the arm of his chair and folded his hands together loosely "I would like to be sure that you aren't made to feel uncomfortable if it is only the two of us training after dark together. If we are to do this, we need to trust each other, and I don't want to make you feel that you are being put at a disadvantage." Iris listened to him, staring down at her hands where they were clasped tightly in her lap, trying her best to stave off the flush that was creeping up her neck "Yeah, no, I totally get that. Thanks for asking though! I really appreciate it." Ravus' eyes narrowed "Is that a yes or a no? I am unclear as to what 'yeah, no' means." Feeling put on the spot, and still mentally reeling from the prospect of having to wrestle with him, she squeaked out something to the effect of "Yes I understand and no it wouldn't bother me." and quickly changed the subject "Do you think I can go now? I really want to start getting ready for later."

He checked the time and stood up "Yes, I think you will have no trouble if you leave now." Iris jumped to her feet and followed him to the door. Recovering her composure and giving him a winning smile "Thank you again for breakfast, Ravus. You're gonna be so impressed with me later, I promise!" He nodded curtly and opened the door "I look forward to it, Iris."


	10. Chapter 10

Iris raced off to her room, frantically thinking about how she could prepare for her training with Ravus that night in a way that would impress him with her commitment and resolve to being the best field support he could ask for. When she arrived in her quarters, she flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling _"How am I supposed to get ready for this? I almost lost it when he touched my hand, how the hell am I supposed to actually spar with him?"_ She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and rattled off a text to Aranea:

Iris: He wants to have a training session 2nite with just the 2 of us! tf am I supposed 2do?

She paced back and forth across the room until her phone beeped with an answer

Silver Queen BAE: So? You'll be fine. We've been training for this!

Iris sighed; one thing she hated more than anything was wilfully handing someone the ability to tell her 'I told you so', and it didn't make it any easier that Aranea had been so confident that Iris was kidding herself about her feelings for Ravus. Now Iris had to validate that confidence and admit something she didn't want to admit to even herself. She took a deep breath and typed out her response:

Iris: We had breakfast this morning. He touched my hand and I almost died. How am I supposed to deal with that actually fighting him?

The typing bubbles popped up for a few seconds and disappeared, only to pop up again before disappearing one more time as the message came through.

Silver Queen BAE: Oh shit!

Silver Queen BAE: You've got it so bad I totally knew it!

Iris rolled her eyes and groaned, flipping over onto her stomach and flailing her limbs weakly.

Iris: Yeah, yeah, you were right, I know. That doesn't solve my problem tho!

Silver Queen BAE: Ok, you're right, let me think

Silver Queen BAE: Iris you're just going to have to deal with it. I know it's gonna be hard, but you're going to have to keep your cool. idk what else to tell you.

Iris: Fiiiiine. I'll do my best

Tossing her phone aside, Iris buried her face in her pillow and let out an exasperated yell "Fuuuuuuuck!" she pounded her fists against the bedding a few times before sitting up and taking a few deep breaths _"You can do this, Iris."_ She told herself _"You're not going to let your feelings get in the way of this opportunity. Just suck it up!"_

As she lay there trying to calm her nerves, Iris found herself getting drowsy _"I did get up really early this morning, maybe I should take a nap."_ she mused with a yawn _"Yeah, I think I deserve a little more sleep. Plus, I'll be so much more prepared for whatever Ravus is going to throw at me tonight. A nap is an excellent idea!"_ she then proceeded to lazily roll around the bed until she was comfortable, and pulled a blanket up around her chin. She had fleeting thoughts of setting an alarm, but dismissed them _"I have all day before I even have to start getting ready. There's no way I won't wake up with hours to spare."_ Confident in her ability to wake herself up at a reasonable hour, Iris snuggled deep into her blankets, imagining that a certain tall, ashen haired commander had his arms wrapped around her, holding her tight to his chest. _"He's just so BIG,"_ Iris said to herself, a blushing smile creeping over her features, _"he probably wouldn't even fit on my bed, especially not with me in it too."_ The idea brought her an immense amount of joy and embarrassment as she fought to keep the fog of sleep away for just a little while longer, wanting to enjoy her day dream as much as possible before slumber overtook her. _"I...wonder...how big...his own bed...is..?"_ her thoughts blurred and ran together as she slipped away, soon to be completely lost to the world; for a little while at least.

Iris slept a sound, dreamless sleep for hours, not even waking at midday when she was usually starving. When she did finally come to, it was slowly and she felt as groggy as if she had challenged Prompto to a contest of who could win a race after drinking three Slow potions. She was conscious of being awake, but refused to open her eyes, the temptation to remain under her covers too great to cast off in an instant.

As she became more aware of her surroundings, Iris noticed a heavy weight lying across her middle; turning her head as gently as possible, she found herself penned in by something solid behind her as well. Peeking under her blankets, Iris saw that it was a man's arm slung around her waist. _"Ravus is here in my bed with me"_ she thought instinctively recognizing he the limb as belonging to the high commander himself _"I wonder how long he's been here."_ As she lay there, thinking about how nice it was to be so tightly held, his voice came floating softly over her shoulder "Ah, you are awake."

Smoothing a hand over his arm, and interlocking her fingers with his, she nestled in closer to his chest, answering with a nod and a sleepy "Mhmm". They lay there without speaking for a few moments until Iris broke the silence, lifting her head and turning to get his attention; "Ravus?" she asked, waiting for an acknowledging hum before continuing "Why aren't you waiting in the dojo? It must be almost time for you to test me, shouldn't you be there?" He leaned forward, resting his chin on the crown of her head "It's still light out. We shouldn't meet until well after dark to avoid rousing suspicion. We can just stay here until then." Iris laid her head down and closed her eyes, _"I'll get up in a little bit, this is just really nice..."_ she was just dozing off when she had a sudden sensation of falling, and jerked herself awake.

As she tried to collect herself and slow her breathing from the shock, she was aware of the emptiness of her bed. Ravus was nowhere to be seen, and she had just begun to reason that he had gone to prepare for her assessment when she smacked herself in the forehead with the palm of her hand, the realization hitting her like a ton of bricks "I'm an idiot!" she said it out loud, the sound of her own voice seeming to add extra emphasis to the exclamation "It was a freaking dream! He'd never crawl in bed with me, much less even set foot near this area of the palace! Uggghhh I'm such an idiot!" she rubbed her eyes furiously, trying to shake she slumber from every part of her body before going to check the time on her phone and seeing that she had gotten a text from the high commander himself.

Ravus: I'll meet you in the dojo at midnight

"Shit!" she exclaimed "It's already a quarter til! How did I sleep this long?!" her plans of having plenty of time to mentally prepare and do some dynamic stretching prior to the test had been dashed, and she flew around the room, gathering her gear and yanking on different articles of suitable clothing. Once she was dressed, Iris grabbed the handle of her door and stood there, taking a few minutes to breathe deeply and calm herself down before heading out. She knew that if anyone saw her dashing urgently around the palace, they would immediately alert her father, and he would have her brought to him and spend the next few hours grilling her about where she was headed in such a hurry at that hour of the night.

Confident that she was sufficiently calm, Iris turned off her lamp and slowly opened her door. Creeping out of her room and keeping herself pressed against the walls, she stealthily made her way through the shadowy halls of the palace to the dojo, certain that if she were even a minute late, the chance to impress Ravus would be completely lost to her. As she drew close to their meeting place, Iris saw that there was no glimmer of light coming from any visible area of the training house, making her think that she had either beaten him there, or made some mistake about the time and place of their meeting. Deciding to go inside and wait for a bit, Iris slipped through the front door, made her way through the darkness to the sparring room, and pushed open that door, whereupon doing so, she was a little blinded by the light from all the lamps in the room, creating a stark contrast to the dark that she had just come from.

Iris stood there just inside the door, blinking in the light for a few moments, and waiting for her eyes to adjust before she could take account of her surroundings; as she became more used to the light, she surveyed the room, seeing all the equipment in its rightful place around the walls, and there at the center, the high commander, facing away from Iris, one arm stretched across the front of his body while the other arm assisted in the stretch, as she could see in the mirrors that lined the room. Iris swallowed thickly a few times as she gave him a quick once-over; in place of his usual impressive white uniform, Ravus wore black pants, similar to the ones she'd seen Noctis often wear, a black tank top, and black fingerless gloves. "Ah, there you are," he spoke, catching sight of her in the mirror and turning to face her "shall we get started?"

As nervous as she had been at the prospect of having to go hand to hand with Ravus, Iris found that, in actually doing so, she was incredibly calm and focused; able to concentrate on the task at hand, and remain objective in performing it.

Ravus began their trial in a very similar way to Aranea, having Iris perform several block, strike, and dodge maneuvers, in order to assess her level of knowledge and agility. Once he was satisfied, he stepped over to her and they squared off, circling each other, fists raised, trying to feel out the other's strengths and weaknesses. Iris struck first, throwing a light jab at Ravus' ribs, to test the waters. He blocked it easily with a dropped elbow, and returned it with a blow of his own, aimed at her head. Iris dodged to the side, swiping a hand across in front of her as she did so, and giving his hand a light tap as it passed by, a hair's breadth from her face.

They traded shallow hits back and forth for a little while, feeling the other out until Iris, feeling a spark of competitive aggression, kicked up the speed and intensity of her attacks, wanting to find out exactly how far she could push Ravus in a sparring match. He seemed to rise to the challenge, matching her speed blow for blow, but for some reason, didn't escalate from there. Emboldened by this, Iris decided to see if she could provoke a reaction out of him. She waited for his next blow, and when it came, she swiftly sidestepped it, seizing his wrist as she did so, and whirled toward him, dropping to the floor and sweeping her leg at the backs of his feet in an attempt to bring him to the ground.

Ravus anticipated her intent, and jumped lightly over her extended leg, twisting his wrist in Iris' grasp as he went, rolling out of her grip and grabbing her arm at the same time. She hadn't been prepared for how fast he was, and her split second window to react flashed by before she could react. She let out a surprised "Oof" when, in the same motion of grabbing her, he came around behind her and wrapped his arm around her neck in a chokehold, not tight enough to hurt her, but still with the purpose of subduing her. Holding on to the arm encircling her neck, Iris responded by kicking out hard at a hanging punching bag in front of her, using the backward force to propel herself up and flip over his shoulder, pulling herself free from his grip and wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.

Once in position on Ravus' back, Iris threw her body weight to the side with all the force she could muster; she was considerably smaller than him, it was true, but she had always been far stronger than she looked, causing most people who sparred with her to greatly underestimate her ability. It was instantly apparent that Ravus, who grabbed her legs as soon as she had got them around him, had made a similar miscalculation when he failed to adequately compensate for the power of her throw; and although Iris didn't manage to bring him to the ground, she destabilized him enough for him to drop down on one knee and loosen his grasp on her legs, allowing her to break free and roll away.

Leaning back on her heels, Iris grinned at Ravus from across the room; she was confident that she was doing well, and she was enjoying herself. "I see you much prefer to use your legs and body weight to your advantage, rather than your fists." he remarked "That serves you well." Iris shrugged "When you grow up with a guy like Gladdy for a brother, you learn really quickly that you have to play to your own strengths instead of trying to play by someone else's rules. Especially if that someone else is almost three times your size." she said it matter-of-factly, glad that he was taking notice of her skills, but not wanting to give the idea that it meant as much to her as it did.

They both rose to their feet and approached each other again, dropping into their respective fighting stances, and once again starting to circle each other. This time it was Ravus who took the offensive, although he took a different approach than he had before; rather than throwing punches, he advanced on her, deflecting the several strikes she made at him, until he was close enough, whereupon, he tripped her and took her to the mat almost immediately. They grappled for a moment before he flipped her onto her hands and knees, wound an arm around her neck and rolled onto his back, clasping her to his chest while winding one of his legs around her own, effectively immobilizing her.

Letting out a surprised yelp, Iris scrabbled at the arm encircling her neck "Wha…" she gasped, feeling suddenly lightheaded. Ravus released her immediately, rolling back over and pushing her back onto her hands and knees, giving her back a few hard pats "Easy, just breathe." he told her. It took a few minutes of spluttering before she regained her composure and could turn to him "What was THAT?" she demanded wiping a hand across her mouth as she leaned back on her heels. He gave her a questioning frown "Surely Gladiolus is well versed in grappling and submission holds, did he never teach you?" Iris shook her head vigorously "No! I mean all the guys wrestle with each other all the time, but he told me that it wasn't as important that he teach me that. He said that I needed to learn with someone my own size, though he was always against the idea of me wrestling with Noct or Prompto when they were still not much bigger than me." Ravus sighed and rolled his eyes "Then he is more of an imbecile than I had thought him before."

Iris opened her mouth to protest his slander against her brother, but Ravus, seeing what she was about to do held up a hand to silence her "Nevermind. I'll teach you a few things. Now, let me see what weapons you have available to you. It won't do for you to be out in the field with nothing but your legs to defend yourself. You'd only get in the way." He strode over to inspect the array of weapons, and Iris stood up, venting her annoyance with him by making a rude face at his back. As Ravus picked up a dagger to weigh its quality, a spirit of mischief came over Iris. Her eyes lit up with evil delight as she dropped into a crouch and crept toward the high commander, willing him to not turn around; once she reached the perfect distance, she dug her foot into the mat and sprinted at him, intending to give him a shock and get a little revenge on him for his snide comments.

Launching herself into the air when she felt she was close enough, Iris drew her legs up under her, preparing to wrap them around Ravus' neck, at which point she'd hurl her weight to the side and throw him down onto the mat. Her plan went perfectly for the first few seconds of it's execution, but in the split second before she made contact, Ravus whirled around and knocked her legs to the side with a powerful sweep of one arm, and, not ceasing his circular motion, threw an arm around Iris' waist and snatched her out of the air as she sailed past him, dropping her in a heap on the floor at the end of his movement.

Laying sprawled on the mat, Iris gazed up at Ravus, slightly dumbfounded about what had just happened. "You should really work on being lighter on your feet," he told her impassively "I heard the intent in them as soon as you dug your toes into the mat." Gritting her teeth in frustration, Iris grabbed onto the hand he held out to her, and sprang to her feet "I'm going to make it a mission to take you down when you least expect it!" she challenged, hands on her hips. Ravus only shrugged "You are welcome to do so. Though you shouldn't expect to be successful any time soon; you are still inexperienced, and we will have to work on that."

All Iris' thoughts of revenge flew from her mind as he said it. "So, when you say 'we'll have to work on it' do you mean that I'm up to your standards and can join you when you leave the palace now?" She asked, sure that the answer was yes, but wanting to hear him say it all the same. Ravus had moved to where he'd left his things on one of the low benches bordering the gym wall; laying his jacket over one arm, he turned to her "I believe you will be a useful asset to both Aranea and myself, and I look forward to exploring how our talents complement each other. Also-" he held up his hand to hold back her celebratory exclamations "also, I am uncomfortable with the idea of sending you into the field unarmed, so I will be keeping an eye on how those skills manifest as they grow in order to determine what type of weapon will be most advantageous to you."

Iris only nodded in response. The fact that she had worked so hard for the chance to get out of the city and begin really learning how to fight and kill demons, and now it was actually happening, had rendered her speechless with excitement. That speechlessness didn't last long, however, and her stunned silence soon gave way to overwhelming joy, and she impulsively threw herself at Ravus, flinging her arms tightly around his hips and babbling her muffled gratitude into his stomach. Her unexpected affections taking him by surprise, Ravus just stood there stiffly, his arms held out at an awkward angle, illustrating his extreme discomfort with such demonstrations.

Finally realizing that he should respond in some way, Ravus patted Iris' shoulder lightly before gently pushing her away and stepping back, clearing his throat as he pulled on his jacket "Yes, well I am glad that you are excited to begin field training with us. You did well this evening, and I can see that Aranea did not over-exaggerate in her assessment of your ability. Now, if you don't mind, I will be going. It's getting quite late and I wouldn't want to encourage unwanted suspicion if someone were to see you out at this hour." Iris nodded and followed him to the door. He turned to her one more time, pausing with his hand on the door's handle "Either I or Aranea will be in touch to let you know when to expect your first mission. Until then, Iris." With that, he was gone, and Iris made her way back to her room, her stealthy movements belying the joyous emotions overflowing her heart.

*I apologize for the slow down in updating this. I've been really busy getting ready to move and go back to school full time, starting really soon. I am absolutely committed to this fic, but I won't be able to spend as much time writing as I could when I started it, so you have my apologies for that. But anyway, thank you for reading as always!


	11. Chapter 11

As soon as she got back to her room, Iris plopped down on the chair at her desk; leaning forward, her hands propped up on her knees, she ran through the events of the night, analyzing every detail. " _I can't believe he got me so easily with that stupid submission hold."_ she grumbled to herself, thinking about the way Ravus had disabled her. Her irritation gave way to flustered amusement as she remembered the way he had immobilized her legs with only one of his own " _He could have choked me out right then and there."_ she thought with a shiver, placing a hand on her neck where his arm had been, unsure of why the idea of nearly being strangled by the High Commander made her feel so warm.

Too exhilarated to think about sleep after so much excitement, she grabbed her phone and typed out a quick message to her mentor.

Iris: I FREAKIN PASSED! He said I can go out on missions with u guys!

Making sure she peppered her message with the appropriate amount of faces and symbols to convey her feelings, Iris stood up and happily stretched her arms above her head and flung herself onto her mattress with a squeal of joy. As she lay there thinking of what to do next, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand. Lifting her head from where it was buried in a pillow, she squinted at the screen.

Silver Queen BAE: Of course you fucking did! Who do you think trained you?!

Silver Queen BAE: In all seriousness though, I'm so proud. Ravus already texted me and he said your skills were "adequate" meaning you were stellar. Great job!

Wiggling onto her back, Iris kicked her legs in the air happily, already mentally putting together a go bag for whenever they told her to be ready. Her phone lit up again.

Silver Queen BAE: Now tell me, did you keep your cool? Ravus didn't say anything about you being a weirdo, but he's an idiot and probably wouldn't notice if you sunk your teeth into his ass.

Silver Queen BAE: Tell me everything!

Feeling smug about having kept herself together remarkably well, Iris tapped out a quick reply.

Iris: Of course I was fine! I didn't even flinch when he pinned me with his legs, you'd be impressed!

The reply was immediate:

Silver Queen BAE: HE DID WHAT?!

Silver Queen BAE: Iris, is Ravus getting handsy with you? I'LL KILL HIM!

Iris scramble to sit upright, frantically texting an answer, afraid Aranea would attack Ravus before she could correct her.

Iris: NO! Gods, no!

Iris: He pulled some submission move on me, and I wasn't prepared. Gladdy didn't teach me stuff like that so I had no idea how to defend myself against it.

Iris: You know better than me, Ravus would never!

Iris: Though I wouldn't mind if he did...

She sent the last message with a sly grin on her face, knowing that Aranea would understand, and wouldn't care about Iris' thirst. As far as Aranea was concerned, Iris could do what she wanted, but if Ravus were the aggressor, she'd destroy him for trying to "take advantage" of the younger girl.

Silver Queen BAE: Oh good! I was worried that I'd have to knock some sense into him, but it sounds like he's behaving. Good night Iris! I'll let you know about our plans in the morning.

Removing her gauntlets and kicking her boots off, Iris sank into the comfort of her bedding, not wanting to take the time to change her clothes or even brush her teeth. "Ugh! I have to!" She groaned, and dragged herself up out of bed and to her bathroom. Once she was done, she stood beside her bed and glanced from the enviting pillows and blankets to her closet where her nightclothes were kept; "Forget it, I'm too tired." she declared, and quickly shed her clothes, tossing them to the floor and climbing into bed in just her underwear.

Iris was startled awake by the buzzing of her phone against her face "Ugh" she groaned "Who wants me at this hour?" 'Silver Queen BAE' was flashing across the screen with three message notifications.

Silver Queen BAE: Hey! You up yet?

Silver Queen BAE: We've got a mission! Simple resource collection in Leide. I figured we could get the job done quick, fight some beasts and then stop by the garage so you and Cindy can finally meet.

Silver Queen BAE: You're still asleep after your late night, aren't you? GET UP

Iris was up and out of her bed in a flash

Iris: I'm up! When can we go?

Silver Queen BAE: There you are. Get dressed and meet me in the marketplace, it's closest to the city gate as you know, and we'll leave together from there. Half an hour.

Silver Queen BAE: Oh and wear something different from what you normally do. Something nondescript. Can't have the assholes guarding the gate recognizing you.

Iris was dressed and ready in a flash, her heart racing with excitement she could barely contain. It was finally happening, she was leaving the city to go on a mission and and put her skills to use in a way that was actually helpful to someone.

Instead of her usual hooded vest and plaid skirt, Iris wiggled into a pair of tight black leather pants and a grey tank top with a leather jacket over it. She'd had the clothes for some time, having bought them on a whim when she had wanted to feel older and more important, but had never worn them for fear of teasing from her older brother. He wasn't here now, and she felt a thrill run down her back as she spun in front of the mirror " _I'm so ready!"_ she told herself confidently. Sending a quick text to her father while she strapped on her boots and gauntlets to let him know she was leaving the confines of the palace, she headed out to meet Aranea.

Munching on an apple that she had grabbed from the kitchens on the way out, Iris found Aranea next to a food vendor, leaning on her parked bike, texting away on her phone. Looking up, she flashed Iris a grin.

"Took you long enough." she teased, and then looking Iris over with a wide smile "Oh you look good today! No one is going to think you're Clarus' little girl dressed like that!" she laughed, giving Iris a thump on the back "Here, take this. We don't have time to waste."

Iris took the offered helmet and climbed on the back of Aranea's motorcycle, settling in and wrapping her arms around the other's waist, just like she used to do when riding behind Gladiolus. Giving Aranea a thumbs up when she glanced back to make sure Iris was ready, she held on tight, hearing the engine roar to life as Aranea kicked it over.

Iris could barely contain her excitement as they sped along the city streets; it had been ages since she had been outside the Crown city, and she was eager for an adventure. When they reached the gate that led out into the wildlands, Aranea muttered to Iris to keep her head down and try not to make eye contact with anyone they met until they were well beyond the walls. Iris obeyed and laid her head against Aranea's back, listening as she told the guards that she was taking her cousin to visit family in Leide when they asked the reason for their journey. She was quite convincing, being used to dealing with such situations, and she and Iris were soon flying along the road leading away from the Crown city and toward freedom for Iris.

They made their way into the hills around Leide, parking near an outcropping of rocks, where Aranea hopped off the bike and motioned for Iris to do the same.

"So what does the empire need that's all the way out here?" Iris asked, pulling off her helmet and placing it near Aranea's.

"Nothing." Aranea answered with a wide grin "We aren't helping the empire today."

Iris frowned confusedly "If we aren't out here on the orders of the empire, then what are we doing?"

Aranea flipped the guard down on her dragoon's helmet and pulled her spear from where it sat in it's holster on her back "For starters, these lands are filled with mesmenirs and sabertusks, whose horns and claws are valuable at the right markets, and quite rare considering most people are too afraid of getting caught by demons after dark to go hunt them. Now, I figure a girl like yourself, looking to build her independence and make make a path for herself in this world, could use a little capital to help broaden her horizons." Iris' eyes had grown wide as she spoke, making Aranea laugh at her surprise "Well, what do you say, little Amicitia? I know it's not what you were expecting for your first field mission, but do you want to make some cash by helping me kill a few beasts?"

Iris' shocked expression had given way to one of delight "Do I? Hell yeah I do! This is awesome!"

"Alright!" Aranea laughed, giving Iris a solid clap on the back "I thought you'd say that. Also, if we get to the garage in time, Cindy might let us help her make dinner, so let's get going."

They made their way into the wilderness, chatting back and forth as they went, Aranea keeping an eye out for their prey. Iris had asked if she needed to be silent while they hunted, but Aranea told her it wasn't necessary, and in actuality, it helped if they made noise because sabertusks were known to attack more often when they heard unfamiliar sounds.

They didn't have long to wait; rounding a corner, Aranea lifted her head in a fully alert motion, pointing ahead as she continued replying to whatever Iris had asked her a moment before.

Looking at the place Aranea had indicated, Iris saw a group of about five of the creatures, stalking around a rock, sniffing the ground that surrounded it.

"It looks like we can get the jump on them if we play it right." Aranea said, motioning for Iris to circle around one side of the herd while she came around the other in a pincer movement. Iris did as instructed, and they parted ways.

The skirmish was surprisingly quick; Iris finally got to test the quality of the gauntlets Gladio had given her and was not disappointed. She found that her landed much harder than usual, and her hands were spared a large portion of the impact trauma she would have normally felt. The sabertusks put up a good fight, but She and Aranea proved to be a very efficient team, providing support to each other, and reinforcing the other's attacks. As she knocked a sabertusk to the ground with a well-aimed punch, allowing Aranea to finish it off with her spear, Iris remembered how she had wished she could fight in concert with another person like Gladio and the others did together. It made her happy that she could do that with Aranea, and made her want to get even better. They dispatched the beasts without much issue and set about gathering the materials they had come for.

After showing Iris how to harvest the sabertusk horns, Aranea stood up, surveying their surroundings "Since it's only midday, I think we can manage to keep going a little while longer, what do you say, Iris?"

Iris nodded eagerly, she was enjoying herself and wanted to make the most of her small taste of freedom "Yeah! let's keep going!" she exclaimed.

They managed to track down two more groups of sabertusks, leaving them with a significant haul for their efforts. "I'm hungry as shit." Aranea called out as they were loading their loot onto her bike "Let's call it a day, what do you think, Iris?"

Iris wrapped an arm across her body, using the other hand to leverage a stronger stretch in her shoulder and nodded "Now that you mention, I am getting pretty hungry" her stomach growled at the mention of food, making her giggle "I guess that settles it, let's go."

The Hammerhead garage was closed when they arrived, but Aranea drove around back, parking outside a small cottage that was attached to the back. "Cin! Babe, we're here." she called out as they began unloading the bike.

The cottage door swung open, and the petite blonde from the marketplace came sauntering out, a wide grin cracking her pretty face. "There's my girl!" she cried before throwing herself at Aranea, the other spinning her around as they both laughed freely. After Aranea had set Cindy down, they spent the next few minutes kissing and groping each other, until Aranea remembered that Iris was still there. Swinging around do face her, Aranea laughing sheepishly "Sorry, Iris, got a little carried away there." She then grabbed Iris' hand and dragged her over to where Cindy stood, "Iris Amicitia, future bounty hunter and demonslayer," she joked  
"this is Cindy Aurum, master mechanic of the Hammerhead garage, and love of my life."

Cindy laughed at the affectionate description and turned to Iris, throwing her arms around her in a tight embrace "Iris!" she cried "I've heard so much about you, it's so nice to finally meet my love's star pupil!"

Iris shuffled her feet shyly "Did she mention I'm her only pupil?" she laughed.

Cindy waved her hand "So? Aranea is picky as can be. There's no way she would mentor anyone who didn't meet her standards, or who she didn't believe in. You're right where you are supposed to be, trust me. Anyway," she said, letting Iris go and motioning them to enter the cottage "Dinner is just about ready. Come in and get cleaned up, you both smell awful."

Iris had more fun eating with Aranea and Cindy than she had had since the guys had left on their journey. She laughed while Aranea and Cindy told stories about their adventures together as a new couple, and just starting to live together. The way Aranea draped her arms around Cindy while recounting a story of how she had saved Cindy's life from a rampaging mesmenir reminded Iris so much of her older brother that she told herself Aranea was almost the exact female version of him. Except prettier. And not an idiot.

As Aranea finished a story that had Iris rolling with laughter and Cindy rolling her eyes, the mechanic turned to Iris.

"So tell me about Ravus. 'Nea tells me you've taken quite strongly to him."

Iris almost choked on the water she was taking a sip of "WHAT?" she asked incredulously "Aranea told you that?!"

Aranea's expression was guilty for a split second and then she smiled "I tell Cindy everything! And I couldn't help but tell her about how cute it is when you get all flustered and deny it."

Iris groaned and dropped her head on the table "Is it that bad? I thought I was pretty sly. Maybe I shouldn't have hugged him…"

"YOU DID WHAT" Aranea shrieked and almost fell out of her chair, clutching her sides with laughter "Oh I wish I could have seen his stupid pretty face! I don't think the High Commander has experienced physical affection in so long, that he's practically allergic!"

Iris smiled at Aranea's reaction "Yeah it didn't seem like he was much used to being touched, it was pretty awkward."

It was Cindy's turn to speak up, and she shushed Aranea before turning her attention to Iris "That's enough teasing from you, Nea." she scolded "Now, Iris," she said, her stern look easing into one of warmth "judging judging from what Nea has told me and what I know of you, it seems like you do have feelings for Ravus. If you wouldn't mind my asking, tell tell me why you like Ravus so much, I'd really like to hear it."

Iris blushed and stared down at where her hands were twisting in her lap, "I don't know if I can point out a single reason why I find him so interesting, I just feel drawn to him. And he's shown an interest in me and helping me learn and hone my skills, and didn't automatically pass me over because I'm a girl or because I'm small. I asked for a chance and he gave me one, and I've never really had that before."

Cindy nodded "And he's pretty…" she she teased, encouraging Iris to express herself fully.

"He's _really_ pretty." Iris agreed, a shy smile growing across her face.

Leaning back in her chair, Cindy gave a satisfied nod, smiling at Iris "Well then, I wish you luck, and I pray that he doesn't disappoint you."

Aranea had been listening, head leaning on her hand and a dreamy smile on her face as she gazed at Cindy "My girlfriend is pretty great, isn't she, Iris?" she asked as she leaned in to wrap her arms around Cindy's waist and lean her chin on her shoulder "Always knows exactly what to say, this one."

Cindy just laughed and kissed her, cradling Aranea's face in her hand before pulling back abruptly "It's getting late and Iris had to be back in the city tonight. You two had better go."

Aranea checked the time and jumped to her feet "She's right, we don't have much time left. Your dad will be wondering why you haven't checked in soon, and if he finds out where you've been, it's my head on a pike. Let's go."

Iris nodded and obeyed, thanking Cindy for the meal and following Aranea outside to the bike. As much as she knew that she should be worried about being late, her heart was so full from the day, that she couldn't suppress the happiness that welled up everytime she thought about it. She had her very own friends now, people who had her back and who she could talk to and trust. She was on a path of her own making, and she'd never felt anything like it before in her life. " _I'm my own person now"_ she told herself " _And I'm never going back. No one will take this from me."_


	12. Chapter 12

It was only a day or two after their trip, that Iris heard from Aranea again; she'd just gotten done with her daily workout and was heading back up to her room when her music was interrupted by the chiming of her text tone..

Silver Queen BAE: Iris, I have your money! Come meet me at the docks and I can give it to you.

She was just beginning to type out a reply when her phone vibrated again.

Ravus: Iris, I have an assignment that I think would be of use to your training. Await further instructions as to time and location. -Ravus

Before Iris could let out her squeal of delight, her phone began to ring and Prompto's cheery face lit up the screen. "Dammit! Give me a second!" she grumbled, her frustrated frown easing into a happy smile as she accepted her friend's video chat. "Prompto!" she yelled "I was wondering when I'd hear from you again! How are you guys?"

The pixelated quality of his face indicated that he was in a rural area, but the video soon stabilized and Iris could see from his surroundings that they were surrounded by rocky terrain and were apparently taking a break for a while.

Prompto grinned at the sound of her voice "Iris! Good to see your smiling face! We've just stopped for lunch and I thought I'd say hello." he turned his phone so she could see the rest of the group, each perched in various places on the rocks around him. Iris waved to each of them and waited until Prompto turned the camera back to himself.

"How is the journey going? Are you guys tired of Gladdy bossing you around yet?"

Prompto snickered and covered the mic of his phone "Yeah, he's been really cranky lately, but I think it's because we ran out of cup noodles and haven't been near a diner to stock up again."

They giggled together over her brother's antics, quietly, because if Gladio heard them laughing too loudly, he'd come over and want to know what they were talking about. He had always been nosy like that.

"Oh hey, wanna see something awesome?" Prompto asked, seeming to have just remembered why he had called her in the first place. When she nodded, he jumped up from his seat and began walking, chattering away as he went. "You'll probably be able to guess what it is; you know me pretty well after all. We stopped at this farm and helped out a bit and they rewarded us big time! Way better than taking the regalia."

Iris grinned "There's only one thing I can think of that gets my best buddy this excited and isn't girls. You got chocobos, didn't you!"

"Hell yeah we got chocobos!" he yelled, flipping the camera so she could see the birds as they rested and Prompto fed them treats. He told her all about how much he loved riding the chocobos and how he had bonded with his and even given it a name, expressing how much he wanted one of his own one day and that he would love to take Iris riding with him someday.

Their conversation had reached a lull when Prompto seemed to remember something important. "Hey, we've been told that Nifleheim wants to sign a peace treaty with Lucis, have you heard anything about that from your dad, Iris?"

She frowned thoughtfully "No. Though I can't say that I'm surprised that he wouldn't tell me about something like that. He doesn't really see fit to let me know what's going on in his world. What have you heard?"

As Prompto told her everything he knew, Iris wondered whether she would be hearing about it from Aranea or Ravus. She doubted that Ravus would mention it, he would see no reason to discuss the Empire's affairs with her, especially considering her familial affiliations. She recognized that even if he did trust her enough to confide such things, doing so would give her unnecessary responsibilities and he had no real reason to confide in her anyway, she told herself.

Aranea on the other hand, was less predictable, and might discuss such matters with Iris if she felt so inclined, giving Iris hope that she could get a better idea of what was going to happen, and how it would affect her current arrangements.

Prompto didn't know when this treaty was supposed to be taking place, but he warned Iris to be careful; "The empire had never been trustworthy, so it's safe to assume that they aren't being entirely honest about wanting peace. Be careful with who you talk to about it."

They said goodbye affectionately, promising that they'd see each other soon, and Prompto assuring her he would have the others call her too.

Once she had ended their video chat, Iris tapped out a response to Aranea

Iris: Yeeessss! rn? N Ravus just told me he has a mission I can go on!

Aranea was quick to answer

Silver Queen BAE: Ya, get ur butt down here.

Silver Queen BAE: Good! Let's see him try to improve on what I taught you!

Iris laughed to herself and headed off for the docks, unconcerned that she was still in her sweaty gym gear. When she got there, Aranea was in her "civilian" clothes and was standing at the end of one of the docks, leaning against a pillar, staring across the water as if she were lost in thought. Iris knew better though; as much as Aranea gave off an aura of careless nonchalance, she was always acutely aware of her surroundings, making it near impossible to surprise her.

As Iris drew closer, Aranea turned to her with a grin on her face "Hey there" she called out "I've got your reward, little hunter!" as she spoke, she had been twirling a small drawstring bag around her finger; "Here you go!" and tossed it lightly to Iris, smiling expectantly as the girl caught it and peeked inside "It's a nice little sum, wouldn't you say? You were great help, and I got a way bigger haul than I would normally by myself, so I think you earned it."

Iris' eyes grew wide as she realized how much money was in the bag "Are you sure this is right? It seems like a lot!"

Aranea laughed "I told you, you need to start planning your future. Can't do that with empty pockets! Just don't, uh, don't talk to Ravus too much about our little side business. He doesn't care, but the less he knows, the better. For all our sakes, ya know?"

Iris nodded "Yeah, I get that. Oh! Did I tell you he finally has a job to take me on? I can't wait!"

"Oh yeah, he mentioned that to me." Aranea had crossed her arms and was staring at the ground between her feet with a contemplative frown on her face, the toe of her boot tapping absently on the wood of the dock "I think it's a series of hunts, actually. Not like the ones we were doing, but a couple of the empire's more remote bases have been getting attacked by different daytime beasts. I think one of them is a bandersnatch, come to think of it. Should be quite the learning experience for you."

Iris felt her excitement building; she hadn't known what to expect from a first mission with Ravus, but now that she had an idea, she was looking forward to impressing him with her adeptness in the field.

"A bandersnatch? Wow, I hope I'm ready for that" that she said solemnly.

"Pfft" Aranea scoffed "you're more than ready. You may not have much experience, but you're eager to learn and you learn quickly. Not much else to it besides putting in some hard work. You'll be fine."

Iris beamed at the praise. She knew Aranea wasn't the type to give out compliments lightly, so it meant the world to Iris that she had her teacher's approval.

"Well then, I'm looking forward to it! Do you have any advice for me?" She asked, looking at Aranea with anticipation.

Aranea grinned "Advice for the fighting or to get in close with Ravus?" she teased.

Iris rolled her eyes, and laughed "Advice on being a good teammate of course! Though if you have tips on how to get into his bed, I won't turn them down." she had to turn her face away from Aranea as she said it so the other woman wouldn't see her trying and failing miserably to keep a straight face.

"IRIS AMICITIA!" Aranea yelled "What the hell?"

Iris' shoulders were shaking from her desperate attempts to contain her laughter "Wh-hat?" she gasped out "You can't tell me that he doesn't have something worth seeing under all that white leather!"

Aranea groaned and laid a hand over her eyes, massaging her temples "You're going to put me in an early grave. Please stop putting my nerves through the ringer, I need you calm down."

Iris was holding her sides and quaking with laughter "I'm sorry, it's just too easy." she gasped.

Aranea gave her a playful punch to the shoulder, making Iris wince "You're ridiculous. Anyway, just stay alert at all times and follow his orders. He hates it when members of a team try to go off on their own or think they take unnecessary risks. He's an asshole about it, but he knows what he's doing and he's incredibly skilled so it evens out."

Iris nodded "Got it. I'll do my best! But I should be going, I'm hungry again and I think I'm going to study my bestiary so I go in prepared. Thanks for the advice!" she turned on her heel and dashed off leaving Aranea shaking her head in amusement.

"Jeez, that kid. She's going to be great at whatever she puts her mind to do."

Once Iris had eaten and spent a several hours pouring over her book of beasts, she realized that night had fallen and she hadn't heard from Ravus as to any of the details regarding the mission. She didn't want to text him and bother him about it, but she was curious. As she thought about it, a spirit of mischief overcame her, and, running to her wardrobe, she pulled out various articles of clothing that were all black and when donned, covered her up from foot to neck. Iris tugged the neck of her long sleeved shirt up around her mouth to cover the lower portion of her face, and quickly equipped her gauntlets. Turning out all her lights, she crept from her room and toward the wing where the High Commander resided.

Iris knew from keeping her eyes and ears open, that Ravus had spent most of the day conferring with his superiors, and was expected back late that evening. When she reached the hall outside his door, she jumped and silently scaled her way to a perch among the beams of the hallway arches, thanking the gods that she and Noct had passed their childhood hours in the palace pretending to be ninjas and doing the same for hours at a time. Once she found her perch, she made herself as comfortable as possible and prepared to wait as long as she had to for Ravus to return to his room.

After what seemed like hours, Iris heard the approach of heavy boots, and a moment later spied Ravus' retinue coming down the hallway, but without their commander. Iris held her breath as they passed by beneath her and disappeared around a corner, afraid to make any sound that might alert them to her whereabouts, realizing that her plan might not have been the most wise after all. Just as she was thinking about giving up on her plan, she heard a lone set of footsteps approaching from the same direction that the soldiers had come from. Her mouth curved up into a delighted grin as she recognized the ashen hair of the High Commander.

As Ravus approached, Iris could see that his attention was focused on the tablet in his hands, and he hardly took notice of his surroundings " _Perfect."_ Iris thought to herself " _He's distracted, that will make this even easier."_ she waited until he was just below her to spring.

It all happened in a matter of seconds, but Iris could see it all as if in slow motion; as she was descending, her body taut in attack position, Ravus' gaze flashed up and caught her own. He swiftly stepped to the side and, reaching up, snatched her out of the air, flipped her over and brought her to the ground, one hand splayed over her chest, pinning her down. His other hand flashed to her mouth, covering it to make sure she made no startled sounds. Once she had collected herself, she nodded at him and he released her, rising to his feet and, extending her his hand, hauled her up, before taking her arm and almost dragging her into his office to get out of general sight.

"What the hell was _that?"_ she whispered hoarsely when she had properly recovered "How did you know I was there, there's no way you saw me!"

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly in the way they did when he was amused by her "I knew you were there the moment I set food in that corridor, but you're right, I didn't see you."

"Then what have me away? Your reflexes can't possibly be that fast." she demanded, at a loss to figure out how she had been foiled.

Ravus had started going about the room lighting the different lamps that provided ambient light "It's quite simple, I smelled you." he said over his shoulder in a completely matter of fact tone as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Iris stood there, her mouth hanging open slightly "You _smelled_ me? Am I that foul?" his back was still turned and she sniffed her armpit just to make sure, detecting nothing out of the ordinary.

She heard his quiet chuckle "No, you smell fine. It's the soap you use, actually. It smells like freshly cut flowers."

Iris sniffed her clothing "Oh I don't even notice that anymore. I've used the same soap since I was a baby and my mom bathed me." she said it with a laugh, feeling slightly self conscious that Ravus knew her by her scent, though she wasn't displeased by it.

"It's rather nice." came the reply. He was still facing away from her, though he appeared to be hanging up his sword.

They remained in silence for several minutes, Iris awkwardly twisting one leg around the other, unsure of what to say until she remembered why she had come in the first place.

"Oh! I never heard any details about that mission you texted me about. I was going to ask about it, but I didn't want to blow up your phone."

"So you decided a sneak attack was the better way of getting my attention?"

Iris halted, was he actually teasing her? The pit of her stomach twisted a bit and the blood rushed to her face " _Oh boy."_ she thought to herself. Trying to seem as natural as possible, she squared her shoulders "Well yeah! What better way to get your attention _and_ practice my stealth skills?" Her bravado was working. Or at least it made her feel more confident.

He turned back to face her "Very well, Iris Amicitia, I'll give you your details." He pulled a chart from his desk and unrolled it, laying it flat on the desk. "The empire has many small bases of operation, and they are well defended. However, these to here," he indicated the small legends on the map that represented the bases " are a greater distance away from the others, and are harder to get to, making them more vulnerable than the rest."

Iris surveyed the map "They're considerably close to Lucian territory." She remarked, more to herself than to Ravus.

"Indeed they are." he acknowledged before continuing. "Recently, we've received communications that they have been set upon by the local wildlife, and some damage has been done to their defenses. We don't know yet what has attacked the more northern base, but the one to the west has been dealing with a bandersnatch for several days. Normally, it wouldn't be a problem, there is artillery mounted on the walls, but as I mentioned earlier, the base is hard to access, and supply caravans carrying ammunition haven't been approved to be sent until the problem is taken care of. Now, that is where we come in. Aranea said you were exceptionally helpful when she took you into the wildlands, and I think this would be a good opportunity for you to work in a team setting. Is that agreeable to you?"

Iris had gotten distracted staring at Ravus' hands as he gestured to each location on the map " _How does a many have hands that beautiful?"_ She thought to herself. " _They look so strong and they're so big! My hand would disappear if he closed his around it."_ Thus was her train of thought when she noticed that he had stopped speaking and was looking at her as if expecting an answer. Blushing slightly, she did her best to appear as if she had understood every word "Oh definitely! You're right, I think that's a good idea."

Ravus' eyes narrowed as if he weren't entirely convinced of her attention to detail, but he simply nodded "Good. I'm glad you feel that way. Now, I believe you should get some rest. We leave day after tomorrow and may need to spend more than a day in the field. Is that something you can manage without reusing your father's suspicion?"

Iris thought for a moment, but soon came up with a solution. "Yes, I know exactly what to tell him, don't worry."

"Alright then, Iris. I look forward to our mission together."

She smiled brightly and babbled something about also looking forward to it, and the next thing she knew, she was halfway back to her room. " _Oh man."_ She sighed as she sank into her bed a while later " _I have a feeling that this trip is going to be pretty eventful."_


	13. Chapter 13

The next day, Iris opened her eyes and groaned. Tomorrow was the day she would finally get to accompany Ravus on a mission outside the Crown City and fight beasts at his side. The idea sent shivers down her spine and her stomach flip-flopped with excitement. The only obstacle standing between her and that long anticipated trip was her father.

Ravus had told her that the trip might take more than a day. A single day wouldn't have been a problem, she could make up any excuse for leaving the palace and then disappear for hours without incident; being away overnight was another thing entirely. She knew that Clarus had his crownsguard check on her whereabouts in the mornings and at night before the palace retired. There was no way she could avoid being missed without dragging other people in to her ruse, and she hated the idea of any of the palace servants risking any kind of punishment on her behalf.

She had thought long and hard about how to deal with the problem, when she came up with a fairly simple solution. Tapping out a quick message to Clarus, she requested a meeting later that day to discuss something with him, being intentionally vague so he wouldn't be able to shrug her off.

He replied promptly, and agreed, letting her know the best time to visit his office.

Checking the time, Iris saw that she had some time before she would have to meet her father, and decided a nap would help clear her mind and put her in a better mood to deal with Clarus. _"I'll have to be careful about how I word this."_ She thought to herself as she nestled in to her covers _"The littlest thing could tip him off. Hopefully I catch him in a good mood, too. If not, there's no point in talking to him in the first place."_ She soon drifted off, and after what felt like barely a minute, was awakened by her alarm. "Ugh!" she groaned as she rolled over, not wanting to get up. _"Why'd I have to end up with the king's shield for a dad? This wouldn't be nearly as hard for anyone else."_

As groggy as she felt, Iris forced herself to get up and sit up on the side of the bed, her legs hanging over the edge. She dragged as she pulled on her boots, grumbling to herself as she laced them up, wishing she didn't have to go see her father. _"it doesn't matter how old I am."_ she thought to herself spitefully _"He's always going control everything I do. I wish I could just leave."_ She continued her internal musings as she walked through the palace halls, stopping just outside the door to Clarus' office to straighten her posture and assume a pleasant expression.

Clarus was in his usual position, standing behind his desk, dictating orders to the handful of Crownsguard that accompanied him wherever he went. Rather than wait for him to acknowledge her presence, Iris stood at the edge of her father's desk opposite him, hands behind her back and fixing him with a calm gaze.

"Well, Iris," he said without looking up from his charts "what is it you wanted to see me about?"

Iris smiled slightly "I wanted to ask you for permission to go home for several days. Make sure everything is still running smoothly and pick up a few things to bring back here."

He looked up at her, pausing for a moment while he considered her request, and then, much to Iris' surprise, he nodded. "I think that's a good idea."

Iris stared at him, shocked that he had agreed so readily. She was trying to formulate a reaction when he continued.

"I have actually been thinking that it would be good for you to get out of the city for a while. I'm sure you're growing tired of the monotony of the palace. Going home would be good for you.

Iris drew her brows together pensively, unsure of whether to trust the good fortune of her father's letting her have her way without protest. "I will be coming back in several days. I don't plan on staying home for good, dad."

"Yes, of course." He was already turning his attention back to his work "When do you plan to leave? I'll have an escort ready for you when you decide to go."

Iris sighed "I don't need an escort, dad. Just send me with a driver. It's perfectly safe, I'm only going home."

Clarus paused for a moment, thinking it over, and then surprised Iris once again by nodding his head "I suppose you are right, there should be no real danger along the road from the Crown City to the estate. Fine. I'll send you with a single driver, but that's the extent of my concessions. I'll have someone standing by for when you are ready to leave."

Iris did her best to hide how pleased she was at this outcome, simply nodding and turning on her heel to leave before her father changed his mind. As she made her way through the palace halls, she tapped out messages to both Aranea and Ravus, filling them in on her meeting with her father and letting Ravus know that there would be no obstacle for her joining him on his mission.

When she got back to her room, Iris pulled out one of her duffel bags and began to pack up her essentials: a few changes of clothes, a water canteen, her survival guide from Gladio, and her various toiletries. As she was deciding how many pairs of underwear she would bring, her phone lit up, indicating incoming text messages. The first was from Aranea, congratulating her on successfully negotiating with her father, and the second was from Ravus. He noted that the Amicitia estate was actually closer to their objective than the palace, and told her that if she could get away from the grounds without exciting concern, he could meet her and they could proceed on their mission once they decided on a location. Iris was delighted that her plans were all coming together perfectly, and finished her packing as quickly as she could, wanting to get started on her adventure as soon as possible.

It wasn't long before Iris was bounding down the palace steps, bags in hand, to the car waiting to take her home. As she tossed her luggage into the trunk, waving away the driver when he attempted to help her, she glanced up and saw that Clarus had come to see her off, and was standing high above her at the top of the steps. They stood for a moment, steely blue eyes met by passionate brown, neither moving to approach the other, but simply regarding the other with taciturn interest. Iris was the first to break eye contact, giving her father a smart salute, which was returned with a slight incline of the head, and turned on her heel, ducking into the backseat of the car and pulling the door shut between them. She turned her gaze forward, her thoughts excitedly jumping to the adventures ahead of her, not suspecting that they would never again lay eyes on each other in that lifetime.

Night had fallen by the time Iris reached her family's estate. Though she hadn't done much that day, the long car ride had tired her out and she chose to go straight to bed rather than unpack any of her things or let Ravus know she had arrived. She awoke to the blinking light on her phone signifying unread messages; one was from Ravus letting her know that there had been a delay in his orders, and he wasn't sure which day they would set out on their mission, and to not worry about leaving the city until he had a more definite timeline.

"So much for that." Iris shrugged, slightly annoyed that she didn't have an exact idea of when she would get to start her first real mission, as well as when she would see Ravus again.

Bad moods never lasted long for Iris though, especially when she heard from her favorite mentor, and she was thrilled to see Aranea's name on her screen with unread messages.

Silver Queen BAE: Hey! I never heard from you last night. Did you make it to your family's place ok? Don't make me worry! I'll kick your ass next training mission.

Silver Queen BAE: Cindy says hello and when can we come see your house?

Silver Queen BAE: Actually it's me asking, but she wants to see it just as much as I do. Let's make dinner together! Maybe His Royal Grumpiness will join us.

Silver Queen BAE: Ha! Wouldn't that be fun? Text me!

Iris laughed at her friend's enthusiasm. She remembered how she had thought Aranea cold and indifferent when she first laid eyes on her, but the older girl proved to have an excellent sense of humor, and a mischievous side, endearing her to Iris almost immediately. She quickly tapped out an answer, telling Aranea that both she and Cindy where welcome to visit whenever they liked, since she didn't know when she would have to go meet Ravus and she would be glad for the company, since the estate was kept by a minimal staff, as all the Amicitias were currently elsewhere.

After she got Aranea's excited confirmation that they would be on their way as soon as she could drag Cindy out of the garage, Iris got herself dressed and made a quick breakfast. The grounds were only maintained by a housekeeper and the groundskeeper, so she was entirely on her own for her meals, a fact that she quite enjoyed, as it gave her the opportunity to try out a couple new recipe ideas that Ignis had recently shared with her. That day she went with what he called his "Elegant Orange Cake", giggling at the name, because he always had to give his dishes interesting titles. The cake rose and baked beautifully, and Iris couldn't help but congratulate herself on how much her baking skills had improved _"Iggy would be super proud at how well this turned out."_ she told herself with a smile. She cut a piece and snapped a picture of herself holding it up in front of her face with a big grin and sent it to the group chat with the caption "Wish you guys were here to try this! It just might rival Iggy's! ;)"

Prompto was of course the first to reply, giving her a big thumbs up and declaring that he was sure it "blew Ignis' recipe out of the water."

Ignis said that it looked perfect and that Prompto might not be too far off in his assessment, and that he was happy to see her practicing on her own.

Noctis told her that it looked delicious and that he wished Ignis would make desserts more often.

All Gladio responded with was "Where's mine?"

Satisfied with the feedback, Iris washed her dishes and put them away before heading off to take a stroll around the grounds; it had been quite a while since she'd been home and she felt like rambling around and checking out all her favorite places. As she made her way around all the places familiar to her youth, she thought back to all the memories that made them important; wandering the family gardens with Ignis to gather recipes when he was learning to cook; watching Gladio train to become a shield and then train Noctis in the dojo specifically built for the Amicitia shield family.

Iris eventually found herself walking down the driveway toward the large garage where the family vehicles were kept; although they employed a driver to take them wherever they needed to go, Clarus decided that it was of utmost importance for Gladiolus to be proficient at the wheel of of any drivable machine in order to keep the Prince as safe as possible. Iris herself had of course not been given the same lessons that Gladio received, but her older brother loved teaching her everything he learned, and told her that doing so improved his own skills, not to mention that he derived great amusement from teaching his little sister the deadly skills he was learning.

One memory in particular stood out to her; Gladio was about seventeen at the time, and for some reason, he found it especially hilarious to put tiny Iris behind the controls of an armored tank he had been learning to pilot and see what kind of havoc she could cause. The ensuing chaos had resulted in a flattened hedge, the terrorizing of a flock of geese, the destruction of a stone monument, and a broken arm for Gladio. He had been standing behind Iris inside the tank, yelling for her to chase after the geese when they had hit the monument, throwing him to the back of the cockpit. Both the young Amicitias had been summoned to Clarus' office - Gladio still clutching his injured arm, as Clarus wouldn't allow him to receive treatment until they understood the gravity of what they had done - and dressed down for their "recklessness and the disgraceful destruction of the honor of an Amicitia ancestor." Iris had immediately begun to cry, not because of the tongue lashing, something she was used to by then, but because it so greatly upset her to see her brother hurt.

She couldn't remember how they'd been punished, but the event stood out in her mind as being an important point in cementing her relationship with her brother as partners in crime. After that day, they almost entirely stopped tattling on each other, and both began to consider themselves as the other's protector, no matter the situation.

The warehouse sized building was only lit by the light that filtered in through the windows set high in the walls, giving it a deserted feeling. Iris wandered the rows of different cars, SUVs, boats, and motorcycles. As she got to the end of one row, she noticed that one particular bike had a canvas thrown over it, and, feeling curious, she decided to investigate. Pulling the canvas off of the motorcycle kicked up a cloud of dust that billowed up around her and sent her into a sneezing fit, forcing her to take several paces back to recover and wait for the dust to settle. When the air was clear again, she went back to inspect her find and discovered that it was one of her brother's old projects from years before that he had never finished. It was a cruiser, built more for comfort than speed; a bike for a simpler, less chaotic time. She smoothed her hand along the gas tank and seat, appreciating the fact that the machine was in such good condition after having been left for so long. The leather of the saddlebags was still soft, though the silver trimmings had tarnished.

A smile grew over Iris' face as she stood there looking the bike over; she didn't know the first thing about the mechanics of a motorcycle, but she knew someone, two someones in fact, who did. _"I wonder if Aranea and Cindy could help me finish restoring this thing and get it working again."_ she thought, her excitement growing _"Then maybe I could take off on my own every now and then."_ The idea was so enticing that she leaped ahead of herself, already envisioning what it would be like to go on a road trip all by herself _"I could go to Gauldin Quay and lay around on the beach for days if I wanted to!"_ The idea made her almost scream with excitement, but she quickly got a hold of herself, realizing that she had a lot to do before that fantasy had even a glimmer of possibility. Pulling out her phone, she tapped out a message to her mentor:

Iris: Hey, I have one of Gladdy's old bikes here that needs some fixing up. Think you and Cindy cld help?

Silver Queen BAE: Oooh a project huh? What kind of bike? I'll ask Cyn to bring a few of her tools. We're gonna get little amicitia on the road!

Iris grinned and gave Aranea the details she asked for, including the make, model and year of the bike, as well as describing the state of its repair. When she was done, she carefully replaced the canvas covering the bike and headed back to the main house, feeling her stomach send a few warning pangs to let her know she would soon be starving. Even though the day was only half over, she felt like she'd already been quite productive, and decided to take it easy for the afternoon, pushing her daily workout to the evening.

It had been a while since she had been able to enjoy some quality reading time, and Iris opted to indulge herself in her favorite pastime; this time though, she had access to her entire library instead of the small selection of books that she had to limit herself to when visiting the palace. She chose a supernatural novel; one with ghosts, witches, and dark magic, _"The perfect kind to read on such a bright, sunny day"_ she thought to herself.

Iris' favorite reading place was a window seat on the second floor of her home; shaded by an ancient maple tree, her reading nook had excellent lighting, and never got too hot or too cold. Another factor that made it even more appealing, was that it was tucked behind a staircase, hiding her from view from anyone casually passing by. Grabbing an apple and filling a thermos with passionfruit tea, Iris headed to her hiding place and settled in for an afternoon of adventures. She was several chapters in when she got a text from Aranea.

Silver Queen BAE: Cyn and I are going to come see you tomorrow. We've got all the tools we need to fix up that bike, so we'll get that taken care of in no time. Can't wait to try whatever you cook for us!

Iris: Yeeeessss! I'm gonna make us a feast!

Iris flipped her book closed and snatched up a notebook and pen that she had brought with her, intending to try to start journaling her daily thoughts and feelings - a practice she had attempted many times, but hadn't yet followed through on - and began jotting down meal ideas. She had several signature dishes that she was already skilled at making, but she wavered about whether to challenge herself or not. She knew Ignis would tell her to go with what she knew best when the meal was an important one, but his recipe ideas had inspired her to step out of her comfort zone, and she wanted for there to be other people around to judge her success.

" _I wonder if Ravus would come to dinner if I asked him."_ she mused _"Probably not. He's busy setting up that mission to the outposts, I'm sure he doesn't have time. And yet…"_ It wasn't in Iris' nature to be satisfied with an assumption, she always felt compelled to follow through until there was no uncertainty in her mind. Grabbing her phone, she sent him a message letting him know that she was making dinner for Aranea and Cindy the next day, and that if he had the time, she would be thrilled if he came too. Iris hit 'send' and tossed the phone away.

"He probably won't even answer." she said out loud, picking up her notebook to continue writing out menu ideas, and hoping that hearing herself say it would convince her that she didn't care. _"Dammit."_ she thought _"I do this every time. I'll text him with some reason to see him in person, and then pretend like it doesn't matter to me if he says no, or even doesn't answer. But I care so much and I fucking_ hate _it!"_ She flopped over on her back in the window seat, trying to make sense of her feelings _"Why am I so hung up on him though?!"_ She kicked her legs in the air in frustration before dropping them and laying there, her fit subsiding. _"Though you know...he hasn't turned me down yet...that's gotta count for something, right? I'll have to talk this all out Cindy and Aranea again. They're going to be so tired of hearing me talk about him."_ Iris got up and headed to the kitchen to take stock of the ingredients available to her, doing her best to put her complicated feelings for the High Commander out of her mind. She could sort that out later, right now, she needed to plan her first dinner party.

The pantry was well stocked with a decent variety of non-perishable ingredients, and Iris knew that she had access to the entire garden for fresh ingredients, so she had plenty to work with, all she needed to consider was the preferences of her guests. She didn't want to make anything that was too complicated or difficult to cook, preferring to follow Ignis' advice and play it safe rather than being too ambitious. Iris decided that she'd make a three course meal, starting with an appetizer of roasted asparagus, garnished with braised garula belly and crumbled sheep cheese with flaked leiden pepper. She chose a main course of Ignis' recipe for grilled wild trevally, paired with her own recipe for wild mushroom risotto. Dessert was a more difficult decision; she didn't know Aranea and Cindy's preferences, but she wanted everything to be a surprise, so she didn't want to ask them. Going with her first instincts, she picked a simple cheesecake recipe with a raspberry reduction and a hint of lemon. _"He likes lemon,"_ Iris thought with a blush _"He's not coming. But if for some reason he did…"_ she pushed the idea out of her mind, feeling foolish.

As luck would have it, Cindy and Aranea arrived earlier than Iris had anticipated, and she was fully immersed in her cooking when they showed up. Rushing to the door, Iris welcomed them, throwing her arms around each of them and squealing with delight.

"You're here! And you're so early! I wasn't expecting you for another few hours!"

Aranea tousled Iris' hair "Yeah, that's how we planned it, but Cindy closed the shop early, and we didn't have anything keeping us, so we decided to just take off."

"We shore 'nuff did!" Cindy sang out, throwing her arm around Iris' shoulders and laughing "My ass is sore from riding on the back of that damn bike for so long. You got anything to drink?"

"Yes, yes!" Iris grabbed them both by the hands and dragged them into the house "I'm in the middle of cooking our feast! Come in and sit down, tell me how your trip went!" They reached the kitchen and she pulled a bottle of red wine from the refrigerator "I have white for dinner, but we can drink this now."

Cindy let her bag fall to the floor and grabbed an apron from one of the cupboards "I'm not going to relax and let you do this all by yourself. Babe, will you put our bags away while I help Iris?" she asked sweetly as she tied the apron strings behind her back.

Aranea laughed and kissed her on the cheek "Anything you say, love. Iris, where do you want us?"

Iris gave her directions to one of the guest rooms, and handed Cindy a knife to cut the ends off the asparagus "Thanks!" she said "I really wanted all of this to be a surprise, but now that you're here, it'll be a lot more fun to do it together!"

Cindy grinned and took a long sip of her wine "I love cooking, especially when I have someone to share the kitchen with. 'Nea is a good helper, but she doesn't know shit about cooking. Doesn't really care to, either." she laughed fondly as she said it, picking up her knife and going back to trimming the asparagus.

Aranea walked into the kitchen just then and, hearing her name, asked "I heard you saying my name. You talking shit, babe?" before picking up Cindy's glass and swallowing its contents in one gulp.

Both Iris and Cindy laughed in response, with the latter one making a shooing motion with her hand "Why don't you go take a look at that motorcycle and then come back and help Iris and I with dinner?" she said, playfully smacking Aranea's hand away from the bowl that held the crumbled cheese.

Aranea rolled her eyes and turned to Iris "I know she's sending me out because she thinks I don't like this stuff, which it's true, its it's not my favorite, but I should take a look at that bike to I can make an assessment of how long it will take to get it road ready again. Where is it?"

Iris gave her directions on how to get to the garage, and when she had gone, settled into an easy stream of conversation with Cindy.

At one point, when they reached a lull, Cindy turned to Iris curiously "Any updates about Ravus, Iris? You seemed pretty taken with him the last time we talked, anything change?"

Iris sighed and shrugged her shoulders "I still feel the same way about him. But I haven't seen or talked to him in a while, and whenever a bunch of time passes, I slowly start explaining away the feelings I had when I was around him, and it starts to seem silly...I don't know."

Cindy smiled sympathetically "I know what you mean. Feelings can be really confusing, especially when you don't know what the other person is thinking." she reached over and gave Iris' hand a little squeeze "I was really shy when I was younger, and I was so afraid to speak up when I was interested in someone, that for a while, I was just happy to be on my own. But I learned that you have to go after the things you want, especially when you know that it's something worth hanging on to. Fortunately, I learned that before I met 'Nea," she giggled mischievously "she told you the story, right? I knew I had to grab on to her and not let go!"

Iris grinned "I loved that story! I wish I could be brave like you!" she said, before pulling the oven open and checking the fish roasting inside "You're so confident, you make it seem easy."

"You _are_ brave, Iris!" Cindy exclaimed "If you weren't, you'd never have even spoken to him in the first place. And you have no reason to not be confident; you're smart, strong, skilled and beautiful. You have every reason to love yourself."

Iris tossed her oven mitts on the counter and threw her arms around Cindy "I'm so glad I met you and Aranea. I never realized how much I needed friends like you, and even though we haven't known each other very long, I feel like I can trust the two of you just as much as the guys, and I've known them since I was a kid. Thank you for welcoming me like you have."

Cindy squeezed her tightly "I'm really happy to have you in our lives too, Iris. It's like we have a brand new little sister and I love it so much!"

They laughed as they let each other go, the mood light and joyful as they continued preparing the food. The air was soon full of delicious aromas as vegetables roasted, sauces simmered, and meat braised. Iris had never enjoyed cooking with another person quite as much as she was having with Cindy; even though she loved spending hours in the kitchen with Ignis, their times were never as lively full of laughter as right then.

"Hey Cindy," Iris said as she pulled the cheesecake from the oven and set it near the window to cool "Aranea told me that you met Noct and the others, what did you think of em?" she said it with a smirk, knowing that she'd get an earful, and relishing the idea.

Cindy took a deep breath and laugh "Well, they were very nice boys, I'll tell you that."

"No, no, give me your honest opinion!" Iris prodded "I wanna know exactly what you think."

Rolling her eyes and laughing, "Well, Prompto was a little eager to be honest; I didn't have the heart to lay it out that I wasn't interested. I did try to drop a few hints, but the the boy's pretty oblivious."

Iris sighed "Yeah, I was afraid of that. I tried to tell him to just keep it cool, I hope he wasn't too annoying."

"Nah, he finally relaxed after a while, and he was really sweet, so I don't mind. I loved Ignis. He was so fun to talk to, and we shared a ton of recipe ideas; I'd love to hang out with him any day."

"Iggy's the best!" Iris squealed "He taught me everything I know about food and cooking, and I can talk to him about anything. He gives great advice, too. I'd love him to spend the day in the kitchen with us sometime. But anyway, what did you think of my idiot brother, Gladio?"

Cindy snorted "I hadn't seen that guy since the day I met 'Nea, so that was kind of a surprise."

Iris narrowed her eyes "Wait...do you mean that guy-was it Gladio you blew off for Aranea?"

The cocky smile was all the answer she needed, but Cindy nodded "I sure fucking did."

"HA!" Iris cackled "The way she described him, I figured he was the same kinda guy as Gladio, but it was totally him! I'm going to give him so much shit!"

They were dissolving in giggles when Aranea returned from inspecting Iris' motorcycle and found them sitting back to back on the kitchen floor with an empty wine bottle between them, at which point they cheered at seeing her.

"Yay, she's back! We can eat!" Iris yelled.

"Looks like you guys got started without me," she said, her hands on her hips and a grin on her face "I gotta catch up!" She grabbed another bottle and popped the cap, taking a swig and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand "It smells amazing in here, what do I have to do to get it on the table?"

Iris struggled to her feet and grabbed Cindy's hand and hauled her up after her "Let's set the table!"

Together, Iris and Cindy were only as useful as Aranea alone, and giggled and joked through the whole process, until, with Aranea wrangling them, they finally got everything on the table and ready for dinner.

When they finally sat down to eat, Iris was just about to start serving their appetizers - she was still feeling a bit of a buzz from the wine - and Aranea was starting to fill their glasses once again, the doorbell rang. The girls stared at each other in confusion.

"Iris, who else is coming?" Aranea asked.

Iris shrugged "No one, I mean, no one else knows I'm here. I guess I'll go see. Wait here, it might be someone who shouldn't know I have guests."

Aranea almost protested. but Iris had already disappeared down the hall. Reaching the front door, she shook herself out, trying to be as composed as possible - and feeling very sober all of a sudden - she grabbed the handle and threw it open.

"Ravus?!"


	14. Chapter 14

The shock on Iris' face made Ravus' usual flat expression turn to slight confusion.

"Were you not expecting me? I know it took me a while to respond to your invitation, but I texted you several hours ago to let you know that I would be here at this time."

Iris blinked, the realization of what happened dawning over her "Oh no! I haven't even thought about checking my phone all day!" she cried, her hands covering her mouth in in surprise and embarrassment.

Ravus' forehead creased slightly "You weren't expecting me. I apologize for the intrusion, Iris." he said, and with a nod turned to go.

"Don't you dare leave!" Iris' hand shot out and caught him by the elbow, latching on to him and wrapping both her arms around his "I may not have been expecting you but I cooked enough for fifty people, come in!" Without waiting for a response, Iris dragged him into the house by the arm, while Ravus awkwardly allowed himself to be guided through the foyer and into the dining room.

When they entered the dining room, Cindy and Aranea were giggling and whispering, their faces close together, seemingly having forgotten about the unknown additional guest entirely. Upon seeing Iris and Ravus walk into the room together, they both looked up their faces blushed from the wine. Cindy's eyes lit up immediately, her mouth curving into a delighted smile, while Aranea jumped to her feet - almost knocking her chair over in the process - and yelled "Ravus!" before striding over, grabbing his free hand and clapping him on the shoulder in an enthusiastic half-hug "So glad you could make it!"

Together, Iris and Aranea led Ravus over to the table, with Aranea pulling out a chair for him and Iris pushing him down into it while Cindy poured another glass of wine and put it in front of him.

"Now let's eat!" Iris proclaimed "You all stay here, I'm going to bring out the appetizers-no!" the last word was uttered in a commanding tone and she wagged her finger at her guests as they all made to get yo and follow her to the kitchen "I planned this meal a certain way and you're gonna mess it up if I let you help serve it. Stay put." she glared at each of them until she got confirmation, though she almost lost her composure when she got to Cindy, who's already blushing face turned a deeper shade of crimson as she did her best to hold back her laughter.

Once in the kitchen, Iris carefully plated each of her appetizers, laying out the roasted asparagus in little bundles with the perfect proportions of the braised garula belly, and sprinkling crumbled cheese over it all, taking great pains to make each one look beautiful before carrying them proudly out to her guests. She was met with cheers from Cindy and Aranea, who gushed over how beautiful the plates were, while Ravus gave her a gracious 'thank you'.

The wine and good food set the mood for good spirits and easy conversation, with the girls laughing and joking with each other; Aranea decided that it was great fun to feed Cindy a bit of food every time she became the most animated, or in the middle of a story, knowing that Cindy wouldn't turn it down, and then breaking into a fit of laughter when Cindy shot her an annoyed look before taking the bite anyway.

Iris had plenty of questions about what it would take to get her bike running again, questions that Aranea was happy to answer, and as she detailed the problems with the machine, Cindy was ready to interject her own opinion or offer explanations for the inner workings of that type of vehicle.

Ravus said little, keeping his words concise when any of them tried to draw him into the conversation, but he paid attention and listened to each topic, making an effort to be engaged, and appearing to enjoy himself and the company that surrounded him.

Iris noticed that he hardly touched his wine, but cleaned his plate _"I guess that means he won't be staying here tonight."_ she thought to herself, the conclusion giving her feelings of both disappointment and relief. As much as it made her stomach twist in excitement to think of sleeping in such close proximity to him, she knew she wouldn't get an ounce of sleep knowing he was under the same roof. She knew her alcohol tolerance well-she and Gladio had been sneaking into their father's liquor cabinet since they were adolescents-and judging by the amount she'd consumed, she knew that she wouldn't be sobering up anytime soon, meaning that if Ravus were to stay there that night, she would be laying awake, running over every scenario in her mind where they ran into each other in the halls in the middle of the night and somehow ended up in the same bed.

" _Stop it, Iris,"_ she scolded herself _"if you aren't careful, you're gonna say something and he'll totally figure out what you're thinking!"_

Deciding that she needed to shake off the wine a bit, Iris stood to her feet "Alrught, everyone!" she sang out "Time for the main course!"

The fish was received with just as much enthusiasm as the appetizer had been, with Aranea declaring that it was cooking to perfection, and Cindy telling her that she'd never had a risotto quick so luxurious. Iris beamed with joy at the compliments, her cheeks flushed, both because of their kind words, and as a result of all the wine she'd had.

While Aranea and Cindy returned to their antics of enthusiastically feeding each other, Ravus leaned over to Iris and said in a low voice:

"The food is quite good, Iris, you should be proud."

Iris squirmed in her chair and tried desperately to keep from grinning like an idiot at the praise.

"Thank you, Ravus! I'm so happy you enjoyed it! I think you'll really like dessert," she glanced at the couple across from them who were practically in each other's laps as they continued to drink their wine and giggle in over barely-hushed whispers "want to help me serve it?"

Ravus didn't bother following her line of sight, and got to his feet, taking his plate with him as he stood up "I'd be happy to help."

Iris took the plate from him "Guests don't do dishes!" she scolded playfully, before turning and heading toward the kitchen, her neck still warm from the compliment he had given her.

Once in the kitchen, Iris brought out the cheesecake and began slicing it, while Ravus handed her the dessert plates for each slice.

"So, how long do do you think until we can head out to those outposts?" Iris asked as she covered the cheesecake and put it away, moving on to garnish the desserts individually.

"It's hard to say exactly," he answered, watching as she poured the lemon and raspberry sauce over each slice of cheesecake "my orders change often sometimes, but as soon as I know, you will know."

Iris grinned at him over the piping bag she was filling with whipped cream "I can't wait. I know I shouldn't be excited about people possibly getting hurt, but I've been waiting to get out in the field for forever, at least that's what it feels like."

"I understand. And you've earned it. I look forward to seeing how you perform out there."

"I won't disappoint you, I promise!" she declared as she focused on piping perfect mounds of whipped cream over each dessert.

"There! I think they're ready, let's hope the girls aren't making out when we take these out to them." she said it with a laugh that was half a groan, knowing that Cindy and Aranea were getting increasingly more drunk and would soon either go to their room or pass out in their chairs.

As it happened, both women were still upright, but showing signs of sleepiness, with Aranea having draped herself over Cindy, her eyes half open as she continued to sip her wine. They both perked up a bit as Ravus and Iris re-entered the dining room with dessert, and cheered once more for the sweets.

Despite immensely enjoying each other's company, the whole group ate their dessert in relative silence, all realizing how truly tired they were, and thinking of little else than turning in for the night.

When they were done, the table was quickly cleared, and Cindy and Aranea wobbled off up the stairs to their room, holding each other up and yawning as they went.

After a moment of awkward silence, Ravus turned to Iris and told her that he should be leaving as well "I have a bit of a drive ahead of me, so I should be leaving, but thank you for the invitation, Iris, I enjoyed it very much."

Iris followed him to the door and stood on the top step as he walked out "I'm really glad you came after all, and I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," she said, smiling shyly as he walked over to the large motorcycle that was parked off to the side of the entrance to the house.

" _I didn't realize_ _he rode a bike, too,"_ she thought to herself _"Man, I'd love to ride on the back of that thing."_

"Hey, Ravus!" she called out as he was just about to put on his helmet.

He took the helmet down and turned to look at her, his eyes curious.

"Yes?"

"Can I, um, would you mind...can I ride to the front gate with you?" she blushed as she stuttered out the words, shocked at herself for being so upfront in her request.

Ravus looked down and thought for a moment "That probably isn't the best idea, Iris. The driveway to your gate is long and you would have to walk back alone. I don't know how often demons spawn in this area, but it could be very dangerous."

As firm as he seemed when he said it, Iris had the feeling that if she pushed enough, he would agree.

"Oh, demons hardly ever show up this far out," she said casually "I go walking out on the grounds at night all the time by myself and I've never had a problem. Please? I need to get used to what it feels like to be on a motorcycle again!"

He pursed his lips and looked at her with a narrowed gaze "I suppose it wouldn't hurt. I could never say no to Luna either when she begged. Fine, get on. But I want you to be incredibly careful on your way back and let me know when you're safe back at the house."

Iris squealed and dashed down the steps, not waiting for him to help her onto the bike, she threw a leg over it and gave a little jump, seating herself in the back portion of the seat and settling her skirt so it wouldn't flap in the wind.

Ravus let out a small coughing laugh at her enthusiasm, and handed her his helmet.

"No. You take it. You don't get to ride unless you do." he told her when she tried to turn down the offered protection. Sighing, Iris pulled the helmet onto her head and fastened the straps before scooting herself back on the seat and waiting for Ravus to get on.

He swung his leg over the front of the bike so as not to kick Iris, a d settled himself in his seat, turning the key in the ignition, the bike roaring to life when he did so.

Iris immediately wrapped her arms around his chest and laid her head against his back, a wide smile on her face, her only small grievance was him insisting she wear the helmet. She continued to hold on to him tightly as they sped along in the darkness, the road illuminated by the motorcycle's headlight. The air was cool and Iris enjoyed the feel of it flowing over her skin, letting her mind wander as she relaxed.

" _Should have sat in front of him."_

The thought popped into her head without warning and made her choke back a laugh that was halfway to an awkward groan; she must have squeezed Ravus especially hard, because he placed one of his own on her wrist and squeezed lightly to check on her. Iris responded by patting his hand to let him know that she was fine.

" _Shut_ up, _Iris!"_ she scolded herself _"You're going to ruin everything if you keep acting like an idiot!"_ she tried to shove all the images that were flooding her head deep down and quiet them, but it was no use; she couldn't help but to imagine how safe it would feel to have her back pressed against Ravus' stomach, and her head resting on his broad chest as they traveled, she didn't care where, only that the journey to get there was long.

Iris was just leaning into her fantasy when she felt the motorcycle begin to slow, while at the same time, she felt Ravus tense up as if he had put up his guard. Popping her head up, she craned her neck trying to look around him to find out why they were stopping.

"Iris, there is a red giant spawning just ahead," Ravus' voice was serious, but he didn't sound particularly worried to Iris "I'd rather not fight it right now, and I'm going to try and turn around, but it has sharp eyes and may detect us at any moment."

A shiver ran down Iris' spine, not of fear, nowhere close to it, the feeling that gripped her was excitement.

"Let's fight it."

Ravus turned to look at her with a frown.

"Red giants are formidable enemies, Iris, it could very easily kill us."

"The High Commander of the Empire's forces killed by a demon?" she scoffed "C'mon Ravus, I seriously doubt you would let that thing kill either of us."

The corner of Ravus' mouth turned up in a slight smirk "I suppose now would be as good a time as any for me to see how you fare outside of your dojo. Alright, Iris Amicitia, let's give you your first real fight."

Ravus pulled the motorcycle over to the side of the road and got out as quietly as possible "We probably won't be able to catch it by surprise," he whispered "but we'll get as close as we can before it sees us."

Iris hopped off the bike and set Ravus' helmet on the seat, silently patting herself on the back for having put her gauntlets on before they had left the house. "I'll follow your lead, then," she told him "provide support until I get the hang of things."

He nodded and motioned for her to follow him as he drew his sword and crouched low, starting off toward their opponent.

Following closely in his wake, Iris crept along, her heartbeat getting faster and louder as they went; she had seen red giants before, but only from a distance, and always from the safety of an armored vehicle. Now, as the distance between them closed, she began to realize how gigantic they truly were. Rising high into the sky, Iris could only tell the size of the beast from the outline that blotted out the stars. The glowing sword it carried provided an eerie illumination as it stood out in stark contrast to the surrounding darkness. Iris began to question whether she'd been impulsive in wanting to fight the monster, but it was too late for regret, so she reassured herself by reasoning that Ravus would never have agreed to a fight if there was any doubt that he could win, especially taking her inexperience into account.

It was what felt like only moments after they had started advancing, that Iris instinctively knew that they had been spotted; as she watched, the hulking figure began to turn to face in their direction, raising its weapon in an offensive gesture. It was with a jolt, Iris realized that she had come to a halt in her awe of the sight, and Ravus had gotten farther ahead of her than she liked. and began to run to catch up with him. Just as she was reaching him, the red giant brought its sword down in a swinging arc toward the two.

Both Iris and Ravus threw themselves to the side, rolling out of the way just in time to avoid the red hot blade as it thudded into the earth right where they had been seconds before. They were both back on their feet immediately, with Ravus calling out orders to Iris.

"Iris! Get in as close as you can, it can't get a good strike from that range."

She nodded and dashed forward, dodging another sweep of the huge weapon and getting behind the beast and staying close, away from its striking range.

Ravus stayed farther out until she got out of the way, and then sprinted straight at the giant, delivering several powerful blows to its legs before backing off again.

At first, Iris was confused as to why Ravus' blows hadn't done more damage, she'd have thought the demon would have at least shown signs of bleeding, but she saw nothing. It was at that moment that she remembered the field guide Gladio had given her and insisted that she read it and known it well. She had read about red giants, and in the guide it had said that their skin was profoundly thick and tough, and that even the sharpest of blades wouldn't penetrate it with with a single blow. Ravus would have to continue hacking away at the thing before he would be able to begin to do serious damage.

As she watched him continue to attack the giant in short, quick bursts, she began to discern a pattern in his methods, and was determined to be of use.

Seeing that it would be most advantageous for Ravus to attack the beast from behind, Iris began her own attack, smashing her fists into the back of the giant's lower legs. The responding roar she received told her that she had caught its attention, a thought that was confirmed when it turned around and began searching for the source of the attacks.

"Iris, what are you doing?!" Ravus shouted "Let me take the lead on this!"

"Just attack it now!" she yelled back "While its back it turned!"

He let out a frustrated growl, but knew that she was right, and charged the giant again, his sword a blur as he rained down his own attack on the backs of its legs.

After watching him do this several times, Iris began to formulate her own method of attack. When Ravus fell back again from another skirmish, Iris repeated her previous strategy; instead of staying back and trying to stay as safe as she could, like she knew Ravus wanted her to, Iris attacked the giant from the side opposite him, again making sure that her attacks would make the beast turn toward her and divert its attention from Ravus so he could continue wearing it down.

Despite the fact that Ravus had told her to hang back and do her best to avoid becoming directly involved in the fight, Iris was determined to carry her own weight, and not make the battle any harder than it would be if she were absent from it.

The red giant was surprisingly agile despite its size, and the two of them had to work tirelessly to stay one step ahead of it. It seemed to have some degree of intelligence as well, unfortunately for them, because it had started catching on to their attack patterns. Realizing that Iris' blows were less severe, the giant stopped responding every time she attacked it from behind, and instead began focusing all its attention on Ravus.

Iris caught Ravus' eye as they continued to dodge the searing blows of the giant's sword, and knew instantly that they were both thinking that they would have to find a new strategy in order to get an edge on the demon. Grasping wildly for any idea that might help, Iris remembered the acrobatics she and Gladio would perform for fun after their sparring lessons. He had often joked that if they ever found themselves side by side in a fight for real, he would just throw her at their opponents. _"That could work!"_ Iris thought to herself excitedly.

As the idea was forming in her head, the red giant, noticing she had halted in her tracks made an unexpected lunge at her, forcing Iris to dive awkwardly to the side as it once again buried its weapon in the dirt, letting out another roar before going after Ravus again. Iris stared at the smouldering scar in the earth for a moment, catching her breath as she heard Ravus yelling to her.

"Iris! Get up, you have to keep moving!"

Leaping to her feet, she dusted herself off, and ran back the battle, staying close behind the giant to avoid its attacks.

"Ravus!" She shouted "Throw me!"

Ravus had just rolled to one side to avoid another blow when he heard her, and almost let himself get hit as he stared at her, narrowly sidestepping the attack. "What? We don't have time for games, Iris!" he yelled as he landed a powerful blow on the giant's knee.

"No, I'm serious!" Iris yelled back, diving between the giant's legs before it could turn to strike her "I know what I'm talking about; Gladio and I used to do it all the time, you just have to launch me into the air so I fly at its head, and I can get in a pretty good hit."

Ravus continued to look doubtful, and Iris could tell that he was more inclined to take a less risky approach, despite the fact that the battle was sure to be long and drawn out if they continued the way they were going.

The red giant lunged again, bringing its sword down in a powerful arc, causing Iris and Ravus to dive out of the way to avoid it, the weapon sinking deep into the ground, and leaving a blackened furrow when it was yanked back.

"Please Ravus!" Iris shouted from her place several yards away from him "Just trust me, this fight was about showing you what I can do, please let me!"

His eyebrows were drawn together in an unwilling frown as he fended off another attack, but he was getting tired of the battle as well, and he knew she was right about their purpose in it.

"Fine. But we go on my mark, and if it goes badly, you fall back immediately, is that clear?"

"Yes! Whatever you say!" Iris yelled over her shoulder as she ran to get into position.

Ravus fended off another onslaught of attacks from the giant before sprinting to get between it and Iris in to give her an ideal launching angle.

"Iris, now!" he commanded, turning his back to her dropping to one knee, giving her the all clear to execute her attack.

Iris' legs moved like pistons as she hurtled toward Ravus, pouring all her power into building up as much momentum as possible. As she reached him, she seized the arm he held out to her, and launched herself upward, her momentum augmented by Ravus rising to his feet and throwing his own strength behind her.

As she shot past Ravus, Iris' hand flashed out impulsively and snatched one of the blades he carried on his belt. Rising into the air, she used the upward force to flip herself upside down, locating the giant and flinging the knife at one of its eyes. For such a beast, even the eyes were incredibly hard to penetrate with a weapon, but the corresponding roar told Iris that her aim had been true.

When she reached the zenith of her jump, Iris flipped her body again and, descending on the giant, brought her foot down hard on the hilt of the blade buried in its eye, forcing it to drop its sword as it tried to yank out the weapon, bellowing its rage.

Taking advantage of the distraction, Ravus delivered a crushing blow to the backs of the giants ankles; he had worn its hide down to the point that the blow severed both the tendons and brought the demon down.

Iris landed a small distance away, and rushed to help finish the fight, her heart near bursting at her success.

Ravus began circling the fallen giant, planning his killing stroke; he had just gotten several feet from its head when he spotted the dagger embedded in its eye. He hadn't noticed when Iris grabbed it from his belt, and recognizing its hilt gave him pause as he reached for where it usually hung. His mistake was taking his eyes of the enemy as he looked.

In a flash, the red giant had reached out in a backhanded sweep, and slamming him to the ground, the force of the impact knocking the wind from his lungs.

Iris had seen what was happening, and knowing that there was no way she would be able to reach him in time to do anything, she snatched a lightning spell out of her pocket and hurled it at the giant, striking it in the side of the head, and giving it a strong enough shock that it paused in its offense, giving her time to sprint toward Ravus with a potion, which she brought to her mouth as she ran, yanking the cap off with her teeth and slamming it into his hand when she reached him.

Ravus downed the potion in a single swallow, and hauled himself to his feet, still out of breath, but able to keep going.

The battle didn't last much longer; the giant was on the ground, and once Ravus had gotten back to his feet, he and Iris dispatched it quickly and without further complication.

When they were done, they took a minute to rest and recoup before heading back to the house. Ravus sat on a nearby rock, while Iris threw herself down on the grass next to him, feeling her energy drain from her body as she calmed down.

Ravus, who had retrieved his blade from the red giant's eye, was cleaning it in silence, a thoughtful look creasing his forehead. When he finally spoke, it was to ask Iris about it.

"What made you decide to use my dagger?"

Iris, who had let her eyes fall closed, opened them and roused herself slightly at the sound of his voice "What? Oh. I'm not sure, it just made sense; might as well do as much damage as I could while I was up there."

"You have good instincts," he told her, looking over at her as he held the dagger, tip and hilt, between his two index fingers "though it was quite reckless. Still, I think you will do well with us and be a useful asset."

Iris had closed her eyes again, but her mouth turned up in a wide grin "That sounds like a compliment to me," she said with a quiet chuckle "I'll take it."

"I would have appreciated however," he continued "that you had used that lightning spell before I got hit."

Iris grimaced "I figured we were doing fine and didn't feel we needed it. I was holding on to it til the end; you don't blow your load in the beginning after all, ya know."

Ravus made a slight coughing sound "I assume you mean to save your most powerful hits for finishing off the battle? Sometime, yes that is the case; just, with this kind of opponent, we hit as hard as we can every chance we get, keep that in mind for the future, please."

Nodding, Iris opened her eyes and sat up "Ugh, Aranea's going to kill me when she hears about this."

"If she kills you, that will be but a shadow of what she's going to do to me." he answered with a sigh "Alright Iris, let's get you back to your house, it's quite later than ideal."

The ride back to the house went without incident, though Iris immensely enjoyed dozing off with her head resting on Ravus' back; though it wasn't the most comfortable position, she was sorry when they finally came to a stop and Ravus announced that they had arrived. Hopping off the bike, Iris made it halfway up the front steps before she realized he hadn't followed her.

Aren't you coming?" she asked, turning to see him donning the helmet she had just taken off "It's late, you should just stay here tonight."

"No. I'm sure you can imagine the trouble it would cause if I, a ranking officer of the Empire's forces, was discovered to have spent the night at the family estate of the king's shield, with his daughter and no other family present no less."

Iris sighed "You're right. But it sucks!" she paused for a minute "Thanks for the experience tonight; you listened to me and let me fight the way I wanted to. No one has ever done that before."

"I believe you have much potential, Iris" he replied "you have much room to improve, but I would hate to see potential wasted.I look forward to watching you progress." As he said it, he flipped the visor of his helmet over his face and his motorcycle came roaring to life; he gave Iris a last nod before driving off.

Iris stood there for a few moments, sorting through the thoughts and feelings that were swirling through her head. "Gods," she finally muttered "why do I like him so fucking much?" She turned to walk into the house, stretching her arms over her head and feeling the impending soreness that would come with the next few hours "I'm going to sleep for a month.


	15. Chapter 15

When Iris rolled out of bed the next day, she could feel the strain of the previous night's efforts the second her feet hit the floor. Groaning and walking as carefully as possible, she limped to her door and made her way to the guest bedroom to say good morning to Cindy and Aranea.

Knocking on the door, she was greeted with a cheerful "Come in!" and pushed it open to find the two happily lounging under their covers, clad in their underwear and looking sleepy but well rested. Iris sat gingerly on the edge of the bed on Aranea's side, and leaned her elbows on her knees "I hope you two were comfortable last night, these rooms haven't been used in a while, but we try to keep them ready for guests at all times." Both answered in the affirmative that they had been immensely comfortable, making Iris happy that her first time hosting had been so successful. As she leaned forward into a stretch, attempting to ease the ache from her back muscles, she glanced at a pillow laying a small distance from the bed, and reached to pick it up.

It was right then that two strong arms snaked their way around Iris' ribs and yanked her off of her feet, pulling her backwards and slamming her onto the bed behind her. As she flailed, trying to get a grip on her attacker, the same arms came up and locked her into a full nelson hold, immobilizing her upper body, and only allowing her to kick in a vain effort to free herself.

"What the hell, Aranea?!" she yelled, struggling to wriggle out of the dragoon's grasp.

"Ravus texted me and told me all about what happened last night." the other answered in a voice whose calm was completely unaffected by the girl writhing in her grasp "I should be asking _you_ what the hell. What the hell were you thinking running off and trying to fight a damned red giant?"

Normally, Iris would have fought tooth and nail to get out of Aranea's grip, but with the fatigue of her previous battle wearing on her, she soon tired, and ceased her struggle altogether, relaxing in the hold, as she caught her breath "I didn't go out with the intention of fighting the thing!" she protested "But I wasn't about to miss out on the chance to fight alongside Ravus and show him I could fight. Did he tell you I did a good job?" The last question was uttered in a demanding tone, as she was still proud of the praise he had given her the night before.

"He did." Aranea answered as she loosened her hold and released Iris "He said you were reckless, but excellent so my point still stands. As eager as you are to throw yourself into a fight, you need to have a sense of caution; I don't want you getting hurt from a completely avoidable battle."

Iris sighed and nodded as she threw herself backward onto the bed before gasping and sitting bolt upright, flipping around to where she had seen Cindy laying when she walked in, yelling as she did so: "Cindy! Did I hit you?!" but Cindy was nowhere to be found; that is, until Iris peeked over the edge of the bed and found her sitting on the floor, unbothered and brushing her hair.

"I could have sworn you were right where I landed when Aranea grabbed me!" Iris cried "Are you alright?!"

Laughing the blonde nodded "I saw that coming from a mile away, and scooted. Not my first rodeo with 'Nea and her wrestling moves."

Iris rolled over on her back, sighing with relief "Oh good!"

Cindy got up from her seat on the floor and, setting her brush on a nearby table, came over to the side of the bed Iris was sprawled on and motioned for her to move over, before climbing back in next to her "It's too early to get up," she declared "we're going to stay here until we can't sleep any longer."

Giggling, Iris snuggled in between the two of them, and let her eyes fall closed, thinking to herself that it had been a very long time since she felt so content.

When the three of them finally felt that they had slept enough, they remained in bed, laughing and chatting about whatever popped into their heads, until Cindy demanded that Iris tell her everything about her late night adventure.

Iris tried to recount the story with as straight a face as possible, but thinking about clinging tightly to Ravus as they sped along the dark rode only served to remind her of all the feelings she had about it, and she blushed and wiggled down beneath the covers until they were tucked up to her eyes.

Aranea laughed at her embarrassment, but Cindy only smiled knowingly and told Iris that she didn't have to talk about it until she was ready, at which point, Iris found that she really did want to talk about it, and told them the whole story, making special note of how Ravus had complimented her instincts, though her favorite part was still the motorcycle riding.

"I don't blame you" Cindy laughed "I loved that 'Nea rode a bike, and I was determined to ride with her any chance I got for the whole first three months of being together; I don't know what it is about motorcycles."

"Right?!" Iris exclaimed "I'm gonna be brave enough to ask to sit in front next time, you just wait!"

Aranea cackled and flicked Iris on the nose while Cindy smiled and tousled her hair "You're hopeless! I support you though." she said, shaking her head "But I don't know how you're going to make your scheme happen when you've got a bike to ride of your own."

"That's true! Maybe he'll race me. And then I can think of wagers."

Aranea rolled her eyes "Alright, calm down, would you? I can't hear too much of this; the guy makes sure I get paid. Anyway, speaking of your bike" she continued, tossing back the blankets that covered them "we had better get started on fixing it. Cindy and I are both going to have to get back to work tomorrow, and we need to make sure we get it running while we're here."

Iris perked up immediately, shimmying to the foot of the bed and hopping to her feet "I'm stoked! Do you really think we'll be able to get it ready so soon?"

Aranea had swung her legs off her side of the bed and gotten to her feet, stretching her arms above her head before answering "It doesn't actually need that much work, mostly just to be put together all the way, and maybe a new set of spark plugs. We'll definitely have it up and running by the end of the day."

Iris felt her heart swell; her quest for independence was turning out results far sooner than she had imagined when she started out, and she was still having trouble believing it.

"I'm yours to command! Just tell me what to do."

After a quick breakfast, the three of them headed out to the garage; once at their task, Cindy and Aranea were all business, working together in almost perfect concert and explaining everything to Iris as they went, wanting to make sure that she had a clear understanding of how her new vehicle worked. Iris was fascinated by the complexity of the machine, and watched in admiration as it came together under expert hands.

When they were done, Aranea gave Iris a quick tutorial on how to operate the vehicle and ride it safely. Then she and Cindy bade her a fond farewell.

"This has been a great visit, you're the perfect hostess, Iris," Aranea told her, ruffling her hair while Cindy hugged her tightly "we'll have to do it again sometime."

"I'd love that!" Iris cried, her hands clenching in her excitement "Come visit anytime, it's been so much fun!"

When the girls were gone, Iris wandered around the empty house feeling bored and lonely and wishing her company could have stayed for several weeks instead of just one night _"I wish they could just move in,"_ she thought _"it would be so awesome living with Aranea and Cindy all the time. I always seem to be left on my own when my friends have to get on with their lives."_

Deciding she didn't want to stay in the house by herself, Iris went out to the garage and pulled the tarp off her bike "Might as well try it out." she mused aloud, "I've got to get good at riding this thing. Who knows when I'll need to get out of here."

Iris spent the rest of the day riding around the estate and getting a feel for her new vehicle. She started out going up and down the drive that went from the house to the main road, finding almost immediately that she loved riding the motorcycle, and wanted nothing more than to go as fast as possible. Her Amicitia blood made her fearless, and she tore up and down the drive over and over again at breakneck speed.

After several hours of this, Iris felt she needed to take a breather, and pulled over into a grassy area next to the road. Flopping down on her back, she took out her phone and saw that she had texts from both Ravus and, more surprisingly, Noctis.

Iris considered the Prince one of her closest friends, but he had never been good at maintaining communication, making their conversations that weren't initiated by Prompto's video chats few and far between. The rarity of such communication piqued Iris' curiosity, and she opened his message before looking at the one from Ravus.

It was a picture of Noctis himself, holding a large fish and the caption read:

"Hey Iris, hope you're doing well. Prompto says you're having fun and making friends. Have you been fishing lately? I caught this barramundi in a lake near the Crow's Nest in Alstor. Prompto said you would want to see."

Iris smiled to herself, a forgotten fluttering feeling playing in her stomach _"Dammit. I thought I was past that._ " she thought, a bit annoyed that the simple text could evoke feelings she had assumed were gone. She pushed her annoyance away, and focused on the happiness it brought her to be thought of. She quickly typed a reply:

"I haven't gotten the chance to go fishing lately, but good for you! You have to teach me a few techniques next time I see you."

Smiling to herself, Iris tucked her ph ou ne back into her pocket and stared up at the sky until the sky began to darken above her. Hopping to her feet, she got back on her motorcycle and headed back to the house, the gurgling in her stomach reminding her that she hadn't eaten since that morning.

It wasn't until Iris had put her bike away, washed up, and was standing in the kitchen stuffing a sandwich into her mouth that she remember the still unread text from Ravus.

"Shit!" she yelled around her mouthful as she scrambled to dig her phone out of her pocket. One hand wasn't enough, and she almost dropped the phone on the stone floor as she fumbled to retrieve it, forcing her to stick the sandwich in her mouth and hold it there so she could use both hands.

The text was short like always, but its message made Iris let out a muffled yell.

" _Iris,"_ it read _"we've been given orders to head to the outpost. We leave in the morning, and may be gone several days. Please pack accordingly. I'm attaching the location where we should meet. Aranea tells me you have transportation."_

"Finally!" Iris shouted as she yanked the sandwich from her mouth "My first legit mission! With Ravus! Overnight!" she couldn't contain her excitement and danced around the kitchen, waving her sandwich around and making a chunk of lettuce fly out and hit the nearest wall.

Once she had composed herself and cleaned up her mess, Iris dashed off to her room to get her things packed. It didn't take long. She hadn't brought much in the way of luggage when she left the Crown City, but she had been sure to pack the essentials in the case of this exact occurrence, and it gave her confidence to be so prepared. Iris ran over her list in her head, mentally checking each item off one by one.

Sleeping bag: check

Several changes of clothes: check

All-weather jacket: check

Flint & tinder: check

Water filter: check

Solar charger and backup battery for her phone: check

Enough socks and underwear to survive a flood and gastrointestinal disaster: check and check.

As she stowed each bundle of carefully folded clothing into her pack next to her various survival items, Iris was thankful for the lessons her older brother taught her about folding and arranging each item to optimize space. She fondly remembered how annoyed she would get when Gladio would make her pack a bag, and then dump it out on the floor as soon as she finished, making her repeat the task over and over until it was done perfectly. _"As annoying as it was, I kind of wish he was around to make sure I have everything I need."_ she thought with a tinge of sadness _"I miss getting ready for trips together. I hope we get to do that again someday."_

Iris slid the packed bag under her bed and sat down, letting herself sink into the mattress as she wondered what her brother would think of her "borrowing" his motorcycle. _"He'll probably be pissed when he finds out,"_ she thought with a bit of unease _"but he'll understand. Eventually. I hope."_

When Iris' alarm jolted her awake, she realized she had fallen asleep while she pondered the mission ahead of her, and was still fully clothed down to her shoes, having forgotten to kick them off when she collapsed on the bed. Scrambling out of bed in a panic, she dashed around the room, yanking off her clothes from the day before and tossing them in different directions as she snatched up the outfit she had laid out, thanking the gods for the foresight to pack the previous night.

It didn't take Iris long to get ready, and she was soon heading out the door to load up her motorcycle while sky was in its first stages of dawn. She entered the location Ravus had sent her into her phone and, with a final glance back at her home, climbed onto the bike and turned the key, the responding rumble of the engine bringing a smile to her face.

" _This is it. No turning back now."_ she thought, her stomach fluttering with excitement as she strapped on her helmet and took off down the drive.

Arriving promptly at the agreed upon rendezvous location, Iris found Ravus waiting there standing next to his own bike.

"So that is the transportation Aranea mentioned." he greeted her as she came to a stop and pulled off her helmet. From his tone she couldn't tell whether he approved, but was too excited to think too much about it. "Thank you for being on time," he continued "we'll be taking a transport from a nearby base. I had planned that you ride there with me, but since you have a bike of your own, it will suffice if you follow me and we can leave them at the base where they will be safe."

Iris was a little disappointed to not be riding with Ravus again, but she pushed the feeling away, focusing on the adventure ahead of her. Nodding, she put her helmet back on and waited for Ravus to start his own vehicle before following him out onto the road.

A short drive later they pulled off down a narrow dirt road that wound along through several hills before coming to an end at a large clearing that held a warehouse and several imperial infantry transports.

Iris followed Ravus as he slowed and steered his motorcycle into the warehouse, parking it just inside.

"We'll leave our motorcycles here and go the rest of the way by transport, do you have everything you need?"

Iris nodded as she unstrapped her bag from the back of her seat and slung it over her shoulder "Ready when you are!" she sang out with a big smile.

Gathering up his own gear bag, Ravus lead them out to one of the waiting transports, sliding open the door to the cockpit and motioning for Iris to get inside "You'll ride up here with me, have you ever flown before?"

Iris shook her head "I've ridden in something kinda similar, but I've never piloted one. It was the only thing Gladdy didn't teach me to drive."

"Well, pay attention to how it works, we probably won't have time, but I'll teach you eventually. For now, buckle up and we'll go."

"Don't you have a team? Like, aren't other people coming with us?"

"I don't really work well with others. Aranea is the rare exception because we both know what we have to do and like to get it done quickly. For now, they'll be enough support."

At the word "they" Ravus had nodded his head in the direction of the cargo area of the transport, making Iris twist around in her seat and peer through the window that separated the cockpit from the cargo hold. It was dark, but as she squinted her eyes she was able to make out the silhouettes of about a dozen human-looking figures standing shoulder to shoulder, their heads bowed as if asleep in place.

"Are they soldiers?" she asked "They look strange."

"They are called magitek; inhuman infantry created by the empire from demonspawn. Basically husks that follow orders without question and are very hard to kill, making them incredibly useful."

Iris looked at him, her brow furrowed solemnly "So they're...machines?"

"Essentially, yes. They have no consciousness and live only to obey. Using them is far preferable to getting hordes of Imperial citizens killed. That's how Nifleheim sees it anyway." His tone was impassive as he got the transport started and checked each sensor methodically before taking off.

" _The Nifs are safe while the Lucian people get slaughtered."_ Iris thought silently, somewhat surprised at the anger that had filled her chest at the idea. Quickly dismissing her reaction, she reasoned that she could sort her feelings out later " _I don't need to be getting into a political discussion with him right now,"_ she thought _"I doubt he would care much how I feel about the subject anyway, and he'd probably think I'm a spoiled brat considering how differently we were raised."_

They rode in silence for a while as they passed over hills and plains, flying low enough for Iris to spot various wildlife on the ground below; after a while, she began to grow tired of the quiet and, wanting to talk to Ravus as much as possible, turned to him again "So what's the plan? Are we flying straight to this base of yours?"

"No, it's inaccessible by transport; we'll get as close as we can and camp for the night, going the rest of the way in the morning." he answered, keeping his eyes on the way ahead of them.

"Do they camp with us?" Iris asked, again craning her neck to get a glimpse of the magitek soldiers in the ship behind them.

"No." Ravus shook his head "They will remain in the transport until we are ready to leave, at which point I will have them follow us."

Iris watched Ravus' every move as he piloted the transport, quickly finding that, while the controls were complicated, the way he operated them was smooth and methodical, making it fairly easy for her to follow what he was doing. As she continued to watch him, she found herself getting distracted by the way he moved his hands, whether he was letting his fingers linger on a certain switch, gripping the steering controls, or tapping out a command onto the interactive screen, every motion he made sent little shivers down her spine and made her stomach twist into knots. She was starting to feel desperate and search for other things to focus on, when Ravus' voice broke through her thoughts.

"Have you decided on a weapon yet?"

Iris almost jumped in her seat. _"Is he really trying to make conversation with me?"_ He had asked her questions before, but rarely without specific reason, and she couldn't help being a little shocked; up until then, she hadn't imagined that Ravus would want to converse with her just for the sake of it. _"Stop it, you're reading into it too much,"_ she mentally scolded herself. Blinking, she turned to him with a smile "No, not really. My experience is pretty limited, so I wouldn't really know where to start with choosing one. I'm hoping you or Aranea can help me figure it out."

"I can definitely make a few recommendations based on your fighting style." he answered as he kept his gaze in front of them "You're not bad at throwing a blade, but you'll want something that has more than one chance to use it."

"I like hitting things if that helps" Iris giggled "Maybe I should have a giant hammer?"

Ravus scoffed in a way that made it hard to tell if he was amused or disapproving of the idea. "While that would be quite the sight to behold, you have to approach such a decision critically. We'll use the hammer as an example; you could very well wield it adequately, maybe even skillfully for a time, but because you're built more for speed and agility than crushingly severe attacks, carrying a large, heavy weapon would tire you out fairly quickly."

" _So he's noticed by build."_ Iris thought with a smirk and gave a little wriggle in her chair _"I wonder if he likes it."_ she had to take a deep breath to bring herself back on track before turning to him "OK, you make a good argument, no hammer. Though! I'll have you know I have more stamina than you think, so don't underestimate me!" Try as she might, Iris could detect no change in Ravus' stoic expression, and she settled back into her chair, a little disappointed that she couldn't get a rise out of him.

"I know better than to underestimate you," he replied "but I would still advise against it."

Iris took his comment as a compliment and grinned happily, turning her questioning to the mission ahead "What kind of enemies are we up against out here?"

The terrain around them had become increasingly mountainous, and Iris could tell that they were slowly gaining elevation.

"I haven't been to these parts in a while, so I cannot say for certain, but they are likely to be resistant to the cold and vulnerable to fire; it's also very likely that they will have thick fur or tough skin. I don't expect however, that we will meet any human foes this far out."

Iris' eyes widened; she hadn't considered the possibility of doing battle with other people, and wasn't sure how it would feel to do so. She had mostly planned on fighting beasts and demons; her upbringing had always carried the threat of danger and war, but it never felt as close as it did right then.

Her inner turmoil was interrupted when she felt the transport start to descend; looking out the window, she saw a wilderness of trees and mountains with no sign of civilization in sight, and a small clearing in the trees below them.

As Ravus set the transport down, she was practically crawling over him to get out. "I wanna explore!" she yelled "I haven't been camping in ages!"

"This isn't a leisure trip, Iris, we have work to do."

He was frowning and looking displeased, but Iris just rolled her eyes "I know _that._ But it's been forever since I got out this far from the city or home. I'm excited!"

His expression relaxed "Well, don't go very far, it will be getting dark soon and we have to get an early start. I'm going to set up communications, so feel free to occupy yourself until we set up camp."

As soon as she was able, Iris started exploring the clearing they had landed in; it was mostly dirt and pine needles, surrounded by tall firs, oaks and maples. She couldn't remember the last time she had been in such a densely forested environment, and she found it greatly to her liking. After exploring the perimeter, she ventured into the forest a short distance and found herself confronted with a gigantic maple tree; it was so massive, that she estimated it to be at least several hundred years old.

After walking around the base of the ancient tree, Iris peered into the dense foliage of its boughs, _"This would make the perfect hiding place,"_ she thought with a big smile _"I could read for hours up there. Or,"_ a light bulb had flashed on in her brain _"ambush someone coming to look for me."_

Hastily looking around to make sure Ravus didn't have eyes on her at that moment, Iris scrambled up the tree as fast as she could, climbing midway into its branches and settling herself in a particularly leafy spot, so that she could see down, but was comfortably sure that she was as invisible as she could make herself.

" _Now to wait."_

The sun had already begun to set when Ravus and Iris had landed in the forest, and dusk started setting right after, meaning that they had a very limited window of time for decent lighting, and Ravus would be looking for Iris to help set up camp and make sure she didn't wander off in the dark.

Sure enough, Iris had only been sitting in her hiding place a little while before she heard footsteps approaching, and Ravus' voice calling her.

"Iris, it's getting dark, we need to set up camp and start a fire before it gets cold. Where are you?"

She held a hand over her mouth to stifle the laughter that threatened to expose her, waiting for the perfect time to launch her attack.

The white leather of Ravus's coat made him stand out against the trees, and Iris spotted him making his way toward her tree, scanning every direction as he went.

" _He's so vigilant, it's going to be hard to catch him by surprise, but I think I've got him this time."_ She was getting excited _"Fortunately we're in the middle of the woods, so hopefully there are too many other smells and he won't detect me this time."_

Her opportunity came when Ravus walked right under her perch; Iris tipped herself forward and grabbed onto a branch just below and a bit in front of the one she was sitting on. Shifting her weight forward, she slipped off her seat and swung down right at Ravus, her leg lifted in a kick aimed at his back.

She was foiled once again.

Just at the last second, when she was sure her strike would connect, he whirled around and seized her leg; using her own momentum, he pulled hard, forcing her to release her grip on the tree branch and spun around, hooked an arm around her waist and flipped her onto the ground, making her land with a thud on her back, his hand pressed into the middle of her chest.

Once the stars cleared from her eyes and she got her breath back, Iris glared up at him.

"HOW?!" she demanded "What tipped you off this time?!"

Ravus shrugged "Maybe you aren't as quiet as you think you are."

Iris' eyes narrowed as she stared at him "I'm positive I didn't make any noise to let you know where I was. Don't tell me you could smell me again."

"Well you do use the same soap, and I know that scent well...but you forget I've been doing this a lot longer than you have, and the real world is much different than practicing with your older brother."

Iris grumbled, but took the hand he offered as she got to her feet "Oh, it really is getting dark, isn't it?" she commented, noting the difference "I guess we had better get things set up."

When the got back to the clearing, Iris saw that Ravus had laid out a tarp and tent poles. "Uh, what are those for?" she asked, pointing at them "We aren't tent camping, are we?"

"Is that a problem?" he asked as he began setting out wood in a pattern for a fire.

"Well, I guess I assumed we would be sleeping in the transport."

Ravus looked up at her "You didn't bring a tent, did you?"

"No, I didn't." she answered, clasping her hands behind her back and twisting one leg around the other "It didn't even cross my mind."

With a sigh, Ravus turned back to his task "There's room enough in my tent, we can share."

Iris almost died on the spot.

"W-what? No! I can't do that, I'll just sleep on the floor of the cockpit!"

"No, you won't," he answered, his back still turned "it's far too cold, and you'll be stiff from sleeping on such a hard surface." then looking up at her "I'm sorry if that makes you uncomfortable, but there is nothing else to be done."

"No, no. I'm not uncomfortable, I just hate to crowd you in your tent. I understand, it's the only way it'll work out."

They spent the rest of the time making dinner, pitching the tent, and getting their bedding set up. As time passed, Iris felt more and more nervous about the prospect of sharing a tent with Ravus. It was one of her wildest dreams, to be sure, but now that it was happening, her stomach was in knots. _"What if I roll? What if I talk in my sleep and I say something stupid?!"_ with each scenario, her anxiety grew until she felt like she was going to choke. _"Calm down, Iris!"_ she scolded herself _"You can't let your feelings ruin this for you! Pull yourself together!"_

Taking a deep breath Iris turned to Ravus "I think I'm going to go get changed for bed, and then I'll come out once I'm done so you can change your clothes too."

"I'll change out here," he told her "you can just get in bed when you're ready, I have to put out the fire before I go to bed."

Iris nodded and scampered into the tent, her fingers shaking slightly as she got undressed. When she had gotten changed, she crawled into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, hoping that if she fell asleep before he came it, her nerves would be able to settle down. She had almost drifted off when she opened her eyes for some reason, and in doing so, froze in her sleeping bag. There on the side of the tent was the perfect silhouette of Ravus; he had just pulled his shirt over his head and was unbuckling his belt when iris caught sight of him.

With the tiniest squeal, Iris yanked her sleeping bag over her face, though not quite enough to block her view. Unable to tear her eyes away from the sight, Iris watched as Ravus shoved his pants down his hips and stepped out of them before picking up his sleeping trousers and pulling them on one leg at a time.

Iris felt her face get hot as she watched _"Does he sleep with his shirt off?!"_ she started to panic _"I'm going to die if he comes in here half naked!"_

Fortunately for her, Ravus soon pulled on a long sleeved shirt and went about pouring buckets of dirt over the fire to put it out.

Without the fire, it was pitch dark inside the tent; Iris couldn't remember the last time it had been that dark. There were always lights around the palace and in the crown city; even the Amicitia estate had some dim lights lit at all times. As she lay in the darkness, she could hear Ravus moving around outside the tent, until the front flap was unzipped and he stepped inside. Iris had rolled with her back toward his sleeping bag, and pretended to be asleep while he settled in behind her.

As the moments went by, the only sounds Iris heard were the various rustlings and calls of nocturnal animals and Ravus' breathing as it grew more even, she found herself unable to drift off to sleep. She couldn't tear her mind away from the fact that Ravus was asleep just behind her, and she was overwhelmed with curiosity as to what he looked like while he was asleep.

Unable to shake the desire from her thoughts, Iris began the agonizing task of turning over as slowly and quietly as possible. Moving inch by inch, she rolled to her back and took a few minutes to make sure she hadn't disturbed the man asleep next to her; satisfied that he was lost to the world, she continued rolling ever so slowly until she was facing the opposite direction.

As she stared into the darkness, Iris could make out Ravus' ashen hair where it tumbled over his pillow, making her wonder what it would feel like to reach out and run her fingers through it. Her gaze then traveled over his forehead, brow, and then- _!_

A tiny gasp caught in Iris' throat.

"...Iris," Ravus-who was very much awake, and was returning her stare in the darkness-asked, his voice carrying notes of both slight amusement and fatigue "do you need something?"

"Uh, no." she croaked, laying stock still in her shock, unsure of what to do now that she'd been caught.

"Then go to sleep, we have a long day ahead of us."

All Iris could do was give a quick nod and promptly roll back over, yanking her sleeping bag up over her head. _"Shit,"_ she muttered under her breath _"I'm SO screwed."_


	16. Chapter 16

Iris woke up sometime during the night. Unsure of what exactly had roused her, she groggily opened her eyes. The tent was steeped in darkness, and although the lack of light might normally be unnerving for her, there was something comforting about the velvety blackness that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Sighing happily, she snuggled down into her pillow, and in the process, her head fell forward and connected with something solid. Starting back, she stared into the dark trying to figure out what she had run into. Unable to make out any discernible shapes, she reached her hand out gingerly and laid it against the barrier. It took her all of a second to realize what she was touching. Shrinking back, she held her breath, waiting to see if she had disturbed the man slumbering next to her, and hearing no change in his breathing, sighed with relief.

" _That was close,"_ she thought _"what was I thinking, of course he's the only thing in here I could run into."_ Discovering that she had rolled right up behind him, she considered rolling back to the other side of the tent, but he was so warm that she hesitated. Taking a deep breath, she smiled; though she couldn't put her finger on what exactly he smelled like, it made her feel warm and happy. _"I'm sure he won't mind if I stay here,"_ she reasoned _"I'm kinda keeping him warm, too so, whatever."_ Feeling justified, she wiggled as close to Ravus as she could without disturbing him, almost giddy at the idea that they were actually sleeping next to each other. She was convinced that she'd never sleep being so close to him, but their combined warmth and the safety she felt leaning against his broad shoulders quickly lulled her into a deep slumber.

In the morning, Iris was awoken by a cold breeze on her face. Opening her eyes, she saw Ravus just leaving the tent and closing it behind him. Looking around, she saw that she was still laying right next to his sleeping bag, and that he had to have noticed how close she was before he got up. _"I guess he wasn't too bothered with me being the big spoon."_ the idea was so funny to her, she let out a giggle and then quickly shushed herself _"He's going to think you're insane!_ " she told herself.

She soon realized that Ravus being up and about meant that she should be as well, and kicked back the top of her sleeping bag, scrambling to get ready as quickly as possible. Because of the cold, she ditched her usual plaid skirt and instead slipped into her favorite pair of leather pants, and pulled a thermal on under her vest. After lacing up her boots, she was ready, and quickly rolled up her sleeping bag and stowed it in it's own sack. Since Ravus hadn't come back to the tent by then, she rolled up and secured his as well.

Upon exiting the tent, Iris found Ravus cooking breakfast over the open fire. Greeting her with a nod, he handed her a steaming cup of coffee.

"I wasn't going to get you up for another half hour, but since you're awake, I'll have breakfast ready in a few minutes."

Iris took the cup gratefully and held it between her hands, letting the warmth spread up from her fingers.

"Thanks! Did you sleep alright?" she pretended to take a great interest in the contents of her cup as she asked, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"I did actually. Surprisingly, it wasn't as cold as I was expecting; almost as if i had a heater on my back."

Iris darted a look at him, but his expression was as flat as ever as he watched the cooking food, and she almost didn't believe she had heard him say anything. She shifted awkwardly in her seat "Oh yeah? It wasn't that cold, now that I think of it; you're right."

They finished the rest of their breakfast in silence, and quickly cleaned up after, making sure to leave as little trace of their presence as possible.

Iris grabbed their sleeping bags from the tent as Ravus went to pack the rest of their gear into the transport; on returning, he thanked her for packing his sleeping bag, and quickly started to break the tent down. Iris felt her cheeks get warm as she watched him work, admiring the way he moved and wishing he would take a different kind of notice of her. _"Gods, if only he would grab me and slam me against that tree,"_ she thought, visualizing the scene _"just pin my arms over my head and shove your tongue down my throat, Ravus, fuck!"_ feeling instantly embarrassed by her fantasy, she spun on her heel, heading to the transport to put away their sleeping bags.

" _I have GOT to stop it with the dirty thoughts, dammit!"_ she berated herself _"I'll get myself or him killed if I do that during a fight."_

Once they had cleaned up their campsite and stowed their gear in the transport, the pair readied themselves to start their trek through the forest; Iris grabbed her pack and waited for Ravus to lead the way, hoping that she could stay focused on the mission ahead of them. Looking to see if he was coming, she saw him standing near the rear of the transport as its cargo doors opened. As she watched, the magitek soldiers marched out of the transport and stood before Ravus, waiting for orders as the doors closed behind them.

" _They move just like regular human soldiers,"_ she thought _"I wonder what's under that weird armor."_

"Do you have everything you need?" Ravus asked as he approached her "We probably won't be getting back until late tonight."

Iris nodded "Yeah, I'm all set."

As they entered the tree line, a clear path emerged ahead of them; it was broad enough, but wound through the forest to such a degree that it was hard to make out where it would go next.

Iris was never one to let silence last for too long, and she had questions for Ravus. "Why is this base so far out here? I can't think of any enemies that would, or even could, attack from this side, what are they protecting?"

"This base isn't here to protect anything," he answered "it's a research outpost." Seeing that Iris would keep asking questions, he continued "The Empire is constantly looking for new ways to improve their military might, so different facilities focus on specific ways to augment weapons, soldiers and armor."

"But why out here?" Iris persisted, turning and walking backwards so she could face him "It's so far away from the center of the Empire itself; seems kind of inconvenient. Are they working on something dangerous?"

"I'm not at liberty to share details of the research done here."

"Come on, who am I going to tell?" she prodded.

Ravus glanced at her out of the corner of his eye before turning his gaze forward and continued walking without a word.

"Oh fine!" Iris grumbled, throwing up her hands and falling back in step beside him.

As they continued their trek through the forest in silence, Iris began to notice how quiet it had become. There were none of the usual rustlings of the underbrush, or bird calls that she had observed around where they camped. Looking over at Ravus, she saw that he too seemed to be especially alert, scanning the landscape in every direction. "It's too quiet, isn't it?" she asked in a low voice, without turning her head to look up at him.

"Yes." he answered in equally low tones "Something has scared off the wildlife."

"Are we getting close to the base?"

"Yes," Ravus repeated "The clearing is just over the next hill." placing his hand on her shoulder he quietly guided her to the side of the path and motioned for the soldiers to pass them by "stay on the path ahead of us." he told them, guiding Iris back onto the trail behind the soldiers.

The sight that greeted them as they created the small hill was an unsettling one; the husk of the wall that once protected the base stood out starkly against the verdant background, its charred remains black and crumbling. Directly in front of them, stood a tall metal gate, almost untouched by whatever damaging force had affected the walls.

"What do you think happened here?" Iris asked as they gathered in front of the wreckage.

"I don't know. There's nothing to indicate they were working on anything volatile in the records I was given." he answered, looking as perplexed as she was. Taking out his phone he tried to make a call, but quickly found that it wasn't even registering a signal "Iris, will you check your phone? Mine isn't working, and I'm guessing yours won't either."

She nodded and got it out, tapping the screen to wake it up "Nope. I've got nothing, I wonder what's blocking the signal. Didn't you say they were getting attacked by local wildlife? Could anything around here have done this?"

Ravus frowned "It seems we've run into a deadzone. And yes, that's what their communication said. Though this looks like the damage came from inside the facility."

"What do we do then? It looks like there hasn't been anyone here in awhile. Do you think they left? Should we leave?" Iris had been expecting nothing more than a prolonged hunt, and she was at a loss for how to proceed.

"We need to investigate the area as thoroughly as possible. None of the researchers or officers stationed here have made contact, so we have to assume they very well might be dead. Once we discern what happened here, I'll report whatever we find back to my superiors. But then yes, we should leave." His tone was decided, but it was clear that the destruction of the base bothered him more than he was letting on.

Ordering the magitek to stay outside the perimeter wall, Ravus motioned for Iris to follow him "This wall looks badly damaged, but still sturdy, and emergency seal on the gate looks to still be intact. I may have to blast through it, and that could take up precious daylight."

As he verbally checked off their options, Iris was scanning the walls for any kind of way in; the possibility of bodies inside the base was upsetting for her, and she didn't want to dwell on it. Walking away from him, she searched until she spied a crack high on the wall about five feet above her head. She knew she'd never be able to reach it on her own, but if she had a boost… Running back to Ravus, she interrupted his survey of the gate.

"Ravus! I know how to get in!"

"Show me." he stood to his feet and followed her around to where she had spotted the crack in the wall.

If you just toss me like you did in our battle with the red giant, I can grab onto that crack and make it over!" she was excited at her discovery, and thrilled to be of use, a feeling that started to die down when she didn't receive the enthusiastic support she was hoping for.

Ravus promptly rejected the idea. "No. We don't know what's on the other side of this wall. If you made it over and were unable to open the gate, I wouldn't be able to help you."

"Come on!" she cried "There's clearly no one left here, who's going to attack me in this dead place?"

Ravus put his foot down "We don't know what happened here, and we can't be sure that the danger is gone. I'll get through the gate, and then we'll go in. Together."

Iris let out an exasperated groan and threw up her hands "I guess! But my way is faster."

He ignored her and turned to go back to the gate.

All at once, an idea popped into Iris' head. As Ravus started to walk away, she set her foot on a nearby boulder and shoved off, seizing Ravus' shoulder, and using it as a handhold to launch herself upward. She heard him grunt with surprise as she left him and grabbed onto the small ledge created by the crack in the wall.

"Iris! Get back down here!" he shouted as she scrambled to the top and swung a leg over.

"Don't worry, Ravus!" she called cheerily "I'll let you in!" and with that, she dropped out of sight.

Once inside the wall, Iris scanned the area, looking for any signs of danger; besides Ravus asking if she was alright, it was deathly quiet, with not even so much as a breeze passing by.

"I'm fine!" she called "Now tell me how to get this gate open."

With Ravus' instructions, Iris soon disabled the emergency locks. There was still no power running to the gate however, and she wasn't sure how she would get it open to let him in. Just as she was about to ask what she should do next, she heard him tell her to stand back. She had barely stepped to the side when the blade of his sword was rammed between the gate and its frame; with a few leveraging motions, Ravus pried it open and stepped through.

Iris stared up at Ravus, not hearing him as he lectured her on how dangerous it was to be so impulsive. _"How strong_ is _he?"_ she wondered _"He probably could have kicked the gate in without disabling the lock."_

"Are you ready to proceed then? Safely this time?"

Iris shook herself, realizing that she hadn't heard anything he said.

"Uh, yeah, I'll follow your lead. No dangerous shenanigans this time, got it!"

He looked skeptical, but nodded and lead the way toward the base's entrance.

The next door was also sealed with an emergency lock, but Iris couldn't scale a wall to get behind it.

"We'll have to look for another way in." Ravus said, after the lock resisted several attempts at getting through.

"Can't you just kick it through?" Iris asked "Like you did with the gate. I'm pretty sure you're strong enough."

"That would work if these emergency locks weren't fitted with explosives; they are probably damaged, and there is a chance nothing would happen, but I don't plan on taking that risk."

"Jeez, why would you want the emergency locks to explode?" The idea made no sense to Iris.

"Because whatever is inside might be valuable to anyone forcing their way in. It's a precaution."

Making their way around the outside of the building, they soon found a small window in a first floor wall; it was too small for Ravus to fit through, but Iris could manage it without issue. As they stared up at the window, Iris glanced at Ravus out of the corner of her eye, a wide grin on her face.

"Is it time to employ my special skills?" she asked smugly.

Ravus sighed "I would really rather not let you go alone where you could be put in possible danger, but I don't see an alternative."

"I'll be careful, OK? I'm not completely defenseless." she grinned as she said it "Now give me a leg up."

Before helping her up, Ravus lifted the sword he still hadn't put away, and used the blunt end of the haft to smash the glass out of the window, running it around the edges to make sure there were no shards left to cut her. He then crouched down and cupped his hands together, making a foothold for Iris to step into.

Clambering through the window and dropping to the floor, Iris was struck by how dark it was, almost like the light was being held back and repelled by the darkness; even the beam of light that streamed in through the window was narrow and weak. Once her eyes adjusted to the darkness, Iris could see that she was standing in the middle of a room that appeared to be a small office. A broken chair and desk were laying in pieces on the floor, along with a handheld radio and a desk lamp. Not bothering to investigate further, she hurried to the front entrance to let Ravus in.

As she made her way through the shadowy hallways, Iris felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up; there was no movement around her, and no sound to be heard, but she couldn't ignore the feeling of dread sneaking up her back. It was almost as if she wasn't completely alone in that place, like there was another presence, but not one that recognized her shape or knew what she was. Iris was overwhelmed by the feeling that she _ought_ to look over her shoulder, but every fiber of her being refused.

How far away was the front entrance? It seemed like she'd been walking forever, and it wasn't like Iris to lose her bearings. Keeping her eyes trained straight ahead, she took a deep breath and continued in the direction she felt was closest to the front.

"Iris! Where are you?"

She heard Ravus' voice as if it were far away. Listening hard, she located the direction it was coming from, and ran toward it. Sure enough, she found the door, and almost threw herself down on the floor in her relief to have found it.

"Did you get lost?" she heard Ravus ask "It took you a while to get here."

"Just got turned around is all, no problem!" she didn't want to admit that she'd gotten scared and lost her sense of direction.

"Alright, now tell me what you see."

The second emergency lock proved more difficult to disable. Iris followed Ravus' instructions explicitly, but the lock refused to open. After four tries, she was attempting one last combination, when the little screen blanked out for a second, and then began flashing with a timer that was counting down from one minute.

"Ravus! Is there anything else I can do? The clock is counting down fast!" her voice was high pitched and panicky; her previous ordeal had already put her on edge, and now that she was under pressure, all the fear came flooding right back.

It was clear that Ravus could hear it, because he kept his own voice calm as he told her to look for the wires that fed into the lock.

"Iris, you're going to be fine," he told her "tell me everything you see about the lock."

"I don't know!" she began to yell "They're all the same color and they're secured with bolts, I couldn't get to them if I tried!"

"Alright, are there any tools nearby that you can use to lever into the bolts to get them off?"

"No! There's nothing! Ravus, Please! Is there anything you can do out there?!"

He could tell she was too panicked to be able to perform any complex tasks, and time was quickly running out. "Iris, listen to me. I need you to get away from the door."

"I can figure this out!" her voice was almost a sob "I won't let you down!"

"Iris, you're not letting me down unless you get yourself hurt. Now please, go back to the room with the window."

She let out a scared whimper "Will you be OK?"

"I'll be fine. I'm going to get away from the door now, Iris. Promise me you will, too."

"OK."

Moments later, there was a loud "Bang!" and the door flew off its hinges, making a hole big enough for Ravus to get through. When the smoke had cleared, he stepped through and made his way to the next room as swiftly as possible. He found Iris in the corner, her legs drawn up to her chest, face buried against her knees.

"Iris, are you alright?" he asked, his voice low, not wanting to upset her further.

She lifted her face, looking pale, but relieved "Are you OK?" she asked shakily.

"I'm fine, Iris. But are _you_ OK?" he held out his hand to help her up.

Abandoning her attempts to appear fine, Iris seized Ravus' hand and scrambled to her feet, where she promptly threw her arms around his waist, hiding her face in his jacket.

"I'm sorry! I just got scared and let this place creep me out, I didn't mean to panic like that!"

Ravus squeezed one of her arms reassuringly and patted her on the back; he was still obviously uncomfortable with the demonstration of affection, but he seemed to handle it better than before.

"Don't apologize. You're still new at this. I should have found a different way in. I sometimes forget how young you are because you're so talented, but you don't have the experience I do, and I shouldn't put such expectations on you. I won't make that mistake again."

Iris lifted her face "You're not going to keep me from coming on missions anymore are you? I'll do better, you'll see!" she drew back from him and bent over to dust off her knees before standing up, her shoulders straightened and her voice confident "I'm fine now, let's go."

Starting their search, Iris wasn't sure what to look for; activating the light that was pinned to her vest, she turned slowly, scanning the floors, walls, and debris that littered the floor, looking for anything that had escaped the destruction. As she searched, Iris once again became aware of the oppressive darkness around her; her small light, which usually provided more than enough illumination, had quickly dimmed, its beam narrowing to a weak circle at her feet. _"Weird."_ she thought, not wanting to give too much validation to her fears.

Turning over the scorched skeleton of a desk, she found several files that were still mostly intact. Flipping through the first revealed charts and data tables, the contents of which, she didn't understand. The next file she opened contained hand drawn diagrams of human-like figures; as she looked closely, a chill prickled at the back of her neck. Each humanoid figure was depicted with one or more inhuman traits; one drawing showed a man with spikes jutting out of his forehead and back, while another had long vine-like appendages where fingers should be, still another had eyes drawn all over the face and neck. The drawings gave Iris shivers, and she quickly closed the file and tucked the lot under her arm.

Ravus was in the next room, and she found him trying to bring life back to a large console.

"I found some creepy stuff." she told him, handing over the files she had found.

Ravus straightened and took the files from her, his brow creasing into a frown as he looked through the. "I'm not sure what this is," he finally spoke "but it's not supposed to be here. The purpose of this facility was of a very different nature to what is depicted here." he paused for a moment "I'll have to bring this up to my superiors."

"Do we keep looking then?" Iris asked, hoping the answer was no.

"Yes, we will search the base thoroughly and gather everything we can find that might be of interest."

"Alright, but there's no way we're splitting up," she told him, setting her hands on her hips "I'm not going anywhere alone in this place, it's creepy as fuck."

Ignoring her colorful language, Ravus nodded in agreement "We should stay together; despite there being no one here so far, and no bodies to be found, I'm uneasy about what might still be here."

"So the place creeps you out too!" she exclaimed triumphantly.

Ravus sighed "We should get going, this will probably take some time."

They moved slowly from room to room, looking for anything that might give them a clue about what had happened there.

"There doesn't seem to be much fire damage in here," Iris said, breaking the tense silence "it's more like stuff got knocked around. An earthquake maybe?"

"An earthquake wouldn't be the strangest part of all of this." He replied, keeping his voice low as he righted a file cabinet and proceeded to lever each of the drawers open to inspect their contents. "Nothing here makes sense. This was supposed to be a research facility, with the main focus on data collection and processing. The plans don't even list specifications for an actual laboratory or experimentation, especially of the variety detailed in those files."

"Those drawing I looked at earlier," Iris pointed out "they looked like people. Actual human beings."

"Impossible." Ravus shook his head "The Empire doesn't practice human mutation. That's the whole point of using demonspawn-so no real people are ever put in danger."

"So you think they were experimenting on the magitek soldiers?" Iris didn't have the same faith in the empire that Ravus seemed to, but it was a debate she could save for later. The eerie quiet of the place was getting under her skin and she wanted to be done as quickly as possible

"If they were, it was unsanctioned. Each Imperial facility has a very specific description of its purpose and capabilities; anything occurring outside of those directions is against protocol, and would be a serious security problem."

Iris had stopped listening. Looking past him through the doorway of the room they had just entered, her feeble light reached just far enough, and she spied several cables running out from the doorway of the room across the hallway from where they stood, that looked like they might be the kind that attached to portable generators. "Hey Ravus," she asked softly "do you think there might be some emergency power left in there?"

Following the direction of her pointed finger, he saw the cords "It wouldn't hurt to find out."

Despite still finding no evidence of any presence in the base besides their own, they both instinctively moved as quietly and cautiously as possible as they made their way into the next room. Following the cables, they found a small generator, buried under the debris of a large bookcase, and not large enough to bring light to the entire floor, but the cables ran to several portable lights, in the same room as well as two rooms down the hall.

"It appears that the impact of the bookshelf loosened the cable connections, triggering the failsafe that shuts the unit down when the power output becomes dysregulated." Ravus said, looking up at Iris from where he was crouched after he had looked the machine over "There isn't much fuel left in it, but it should still work."

Despite the logical expectation that he was right, they were both a little surprised when the machine roared to life after he had secured the cable ports and flipped the power switch. Dim light now flooded the small room, repelled just like all other light had been, but there nonetheless. For a fraction of a second, Iris felt comfort in the added illumination. And then she got a good look at her surroundings.

"Ravus?" she asked hesitantly, a feeling of dread creeping up her spine "Is that blood?"

Now that there was more light, they noticed the dark red blots on the walls and doorway. There wasn't a large amount; about two feet from the floor, the walls near the door were marked with flailing rusty smudges that continued out the door and down the hallway.

As Iris bent down to get a closer look, the knot in her stomach gave a little twinge "They're fingerprints."

"Yes, it is blood." Ravus didn't need to get a better look. His experience told him enough. "It appears someone, or a few someones, were dragged out of this room quite violently. That would mean they were attacked by something or someone who had a plan."

"What do you mean?" Iris wasn't coming to the same conclusions he was, her mind was still reeling at the idea that there had been people there who had experienced something so horrific that they had been dragged away while still alive and fighting as hard as they could.

"If it had been beasts, or simply an enemy raid, the bodies would have been left where they were killed. There is purpose behind the way they were attacked and I mean to find out."

Standing shakily to her feet, Iris nodded "Do you think there's a chance they're still alive?" the idea steeled her nerves. She could handle pressing on into the darkness if there was someone who needed her help, and she was determined to try.

Ravus saw the difference in her and understood, but it wasn't like him to lie outright "There is always that possibility," he said cautiously, not wanting to snuff out her hope, despite his nature as a realist "though I will tell you that, based on my own experience, it is more likely that none of them made it out alive."

"Alright, but there could still be a chance."

As they made their way through the halls, now an eerie shade of grey with the added light from the portable lamps that had been placed here and there, they swept the area for more clues, following the bloody streaked fingerprints. Before long, they had explored the entire floor, and came to a door that opened to reveal a set of stairs leading down to an underground floor.

"I guess we're going down there then?" Iris asked wryly.

"The blood continues down there, and so must we." he answered, motioning with his still unsheathed weapon. "Be ready, I have a feeling that the farther down we go, the greater the danger."

"Ya think?" Iris muttered under her breath, silently enough that he didn't hear, or was just ignoring her.

"It doesn't look like there are lights down there, so we'll have to be more cautious." He was holding the door open as he stared down the dark stairwell "Stay behind me and go as quietly as you can."

At the bottom of the stairs, they again found themselves almost completely enveloped in darkness, aside from the lights they brought with them.

"Keep on the lookout for a breaker box, we may be able to restore some of the emergency power." Ravus spoke over his shoulder, continuously scanning the area as they decided where to investigate next."

"OK." Iris agreed, her fists clenched in readiness for whatever they might find. She wasn't sure whether they would need to fight or rescue someone at any moment, so she did her best to be ready for either.

The blood on the walls continued, though it seemed there was more of it on this lower level. The bloody fingerprints had turned to desperate smears, accompanied by frenzied scratches, as if the person being dragged had become aware of the danger they were in and had started fighting.

Following the gruesome trail, along the hallway, it lead them past the doorway of a room that appeared to be someone's personal quarters. The bed, desk and bookshelf had been thrown around, as if someone had rifled through it looking for something.

After giving the room a quick sweep to make sure it was clear, Ravus began righting the furniture "We should see if there is anything left in here." he told Iris as he set the bookshelf back against the wall "Anything that might tell us what happened."

They both kept a watchful eye on the door as they searched the wrecked room; working in silence for the most part, Iris had a constant inner dialogue going while she moved about.

" _How the crap did I end up in this horror show?"_ she asked herself, still in a minor state of disbelief at how quickly their wildlife control hunt had spiraled into a rescue mission, and now they were looking for clues as to how it all happened, the idea of survivors slim to unrealistic. _"I'm happy for the company but, shit, I didn't think it would end up like this."_ She picked up a book and flipped through its pages before setting it on the shelf _"And I have a feeling it hasn't even really begun to get bad yet."_ Deciding to let Ravus finish going through the contents of the bookshelf, Iris wandered over to a mirrored cabinet that was mounted on the wall; she was surprised at how pale she looked in the dim reflection _"Damn, it's like I haven't seen the sun in a year."_ she thought, rubbing her cheek.

Reaching out automatically, Iris lifted her hand and popped the cabinet open. The sight that greeted her made her flinch in shock; the inside of the cabinet was lined with small jars, each one containing a specimen more strange than the one next to it. Several held the preserved remains of dangerous-looking insects, while others carried only bizarre tissue samples that Iris couldn't identify. A small handful were downright ghastly, holding random body parts of unknown creatures: a yellow eyeball, it's clouded pupil slanted like that of a large lizard; a tentacle with sharp barbs growing out of it; a tongue that was forked like a snake's but had an almost honeycomb pattern of suckers all over it. The gruesome sight made Iris cringe, and she quickly shut the cabinet.

"Did you find something?" Ravus had noticed her reaction and was looking at her curiously.

"I guess. It just looks like someone's gross specimen collection." She replied, wrinkling her nose as she stepped back to let him get a look at the macabre display, averting her eyes when he opened the cabinet so she didn't have to look at it again.

"Hmm this is strange, but it just looks like someone's personal interest, as perverse as it is." he appeared unphased as he closed the cabinet "I did find several audio logues amidst the clutter on the floor. If we can find the central command room and restore the power, they may tell us something about what happened here."

"Do you have the schematics of the place? That would make it easier to get through and would be a lot faster."

Ravus shook his head "The nature of our mission didn't require that information. I've been looking for a legend or some kind of map to the place."

"And if _course_ we can't contact anyone from here. That's just great." Iris rolled her eyes in exasperation and couldn't help letting out a laugh at the situation they had found themselves in. As unsettled as she was by the place, her sarcastic personality still came through and it broke the tension for a moment "Hey," she said turning to look up at him "the empire builds all of these bases, right? Doesn't that mean they have a general layout plan they use? And shouldn't you be familiar with it."

The corner of Ravus' mouth turned up slightly in a barely visible sign of amusement "Yes, you would be right to assume that," he answered "and normally, the control room would have been on the first floor next to the room we found the generator in, but this base seems to have been constructed before the basic facility blueprint was perfected, so my knowledge isn't of much use here."

"No wonder it's so damn creepy," Iris grumbled "it's probably got ghosts coming out the ass."

Ravus shot her a sideways glance but didn't respond. Motioning for her to follow him, he headed to the door "We might have better luck finding the control room on this floor, let's go."

They made their way carefully down the hallway with Ravus in the lead, and Iris behind, occasionally checking to make sure nothing would catch them by surprise. After a few minutes of going along in silence, Ravus slowed to a stop.

Peeking around him to see what had caught his attention, Iris saw a metal panel set into the wall, with a ring to take hold of and open it. "What did you find?" she asked, her voice low.

He was already busy getting the panel open, and she saw an array of switches behind it "It's the breaker box for this floor. It's possible that some lights might still be working in here."

Iris perked up at the possibility of more light, and waited expectantly as he went to work.

Some of the switches were dead and nothing happened when Ravus flipped them, but when he was about a third of the way through them, the lights in the hallway blinked several times and lit up, filling it with a weak grey light. The lightbulbs fluttered a few times, but seemed to remain steady for the time being.

Iris felt some of the tension ease from her shoulders, and almost let her head fall forward on Ravus' back in her relief, but caught herself just in time _"It's just some lights, dummy,"_ she scolded herself _"after the lock disaster earlier, you can't do anything more to let him know what a baby you are."_

"Look, see that orange light outside the door at the end of the hall? We use yellow ones now, but I believe that means the door leads to the control room."

Iris was sure she had never seen anything as beautiful as that orange light. She gave a happy little hop and waited while Ravus closed and secured the breaker panel. As she waited, she noticed that the lights had begun to shudder again, and seemed to grew weaker by the minute.

Ravus had just closed the panel and was making sure it was tight before leading the way to the control room, when something told Iris to look over her shoulder. She felt the hair stand up on the back of her neck, and a prickle of cold sweat rolled down the side of her face. She tried as hard as she could to resist the urge, but found it too compelling, and slowly turned her head, glancing down the hallway out of the corner of her eye.

What she saw made her forget her apprehension, and she turned her full attention to it, her curiosity aroused. Reaching out, she caught Ravus' elbow as he was about to start down the hallway.

"Ravus," she asked "are the magitek able to disobey your orders?

"No."

"Then what's that one doing down here?"


	17. Chapter 17

As Ravus turned to look, Iris let go of his arm and started to walk slowly toward the soldier at the other end of the hall. The flickering of the faulty lights made it hard for her to get a good look at it, and she was curious about what it could be doing that deep in the base when it had been ordered to stay at the entrance. The soldier remained stock still as she approached, as if awaiting more orders, it's eerie glowing eyes making it impossible to tell where it was looking. Iris was several places away from it when she heard Ravus' voice from behind her.

"Iris, stop. Don't get any closer to it."

The proximity of his voice told Iris that he had started to come closer too and, turning toward him, she was about to ask what the harm could be, when he flew past her in a blur of white. Whirling around, the sight that greeted her made Iris' blood run cold: the magitek soldier's helmet had split apart, and a twisting mass of dark green, vine-like appendages were shooting out of it and headed straight for her.

Normally incredibly agile and quick on her feet, Iris remained rooted to the spot, the combined feelings of revulsion and dread immobilizing her completely, allowing her to do nothing beyond staring dumbly at the horror in front of her.

Fortunately, Ravus was capable of action, and as soon as he was within range, he brought his blade down in a slashing motion, severing the appendages. As his sword cut through, dark, vile-looking blood burst out, filling the area with a putrid odor, as the limbs fell to the floor at his feet, still writhing and reaching out toward Iris. One more powerful blow felled the soldier, and it lay next to its appendages, cleaved almost in half by Ravus' sword.

Iris was so struck by the shock of so many things happening at once, that she stared down at the gruesome scene without really comprehending it, until she felt Ravus' hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?"

His voice broke through her shock and she was able to look up at him and nod silently, her eyes wide and staring.

" _What the fuck was that_?" she gasped out when she finally found her voice "His face exploded! What the FUCK?!"

"Please keep your voice down," Ravus asked, trying to calm her "There is clearly something down here, and whatever or whoever it is, may not know we're here yet. I'd like to capitalize on any advantage we can."

Iris nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm down, but immediately grimaced "That is _foul."_ and then in a hoarse whisper "Holy shit, are those _eyes_?!" She had looked down to inspect the gore and jumped back in surprise and revulsion _"Ravus what is going on here?!"_

Poking through the remains with the tip of his sword, Ravus frowned "Yes, it appears these strange appendages are covered with them. I've never seen anything like it."

Iris shuddered "That's disgusting."

"What's more concerning is that something has infected this soldier and caused it to disobey a direct order."

Iris was about to pipe up with a few choice comments about how tentacles covered in eyes were definitely the worst part of their situation, when she saw that Ravus actually looked worried. Throughout their mission thus far, he had maintain a cool and calm attitude, but now he was frowning, and the way he was working his jaw told her that this latest development had gotten to him.

Leaning down to get a closer look at the soldier, Ravus pulled a dagger from his belt and used it to examine the corpse. "It looks like these things sprouted out of its head. I had initially thought that perhaps some kind of fiend latched on to it, but these, whatever they are, almost appear to be growths of some kind."

"Sentient growths," Iris pointed out, remembering how they had reached for her, even after Ravus had severed them from the host "with eyes all over them." she stood back, a look of revulsion on her face, and refused to get any closer.

"It's possible a fast-growing parasite somehow attached itself to the soldier, but I've never encountered one that grew so quickly." he thought for a moment "These limbs it has almost remind me of a beast I encountered in some wetland caverns not far from the vesperpool; it was called a malboro, and it was one of the difficult and infuriating battles I have ever endured. It's eyes grew on stalks from it's head, but it moved on limbs very similar to the ones growing from this soldier's head. It was also incredibly toxic, and could incapacitate a whole party in a matter of seconds. If we encounter any more creatures like this one, we should be exceedingly cautious."

"I'm already maxed out on caution in this place," Iris said with a shiver.

As he continued to look the corpse over, Ravus leaned down and plucked something from a seam in the soldier's armor where the neck and shoulder plates met. Holding it up to the light on his jacket, he turned it in his grasp, looking it over.

"Is that...a flower?" Iris' voice conveyed her confusion "Are there plants growing out of its armor?"

"Yes, it appears that is exactly what is happening. How curious."

Iris shifted her weight from one foot to the other "Yeah, sure, 'curious'. Maybe you shouldn't be getting so close to it. Especially if it's anything like that malboro you were talking about."

Standing to his feet, Ravus motioned in the direction of the main control room "We should go. We still don't know what happened here, and I would prefer not to stay any longer than we have to; I am sure you feel similarly."

Iris didn't need to be told twice, and kept close behind him, constantly glancing back as they headed to the control room, the weak, intermittent lights illuminating the way.

When they got to the door, it was locked, but it fortunately wasn't equipped with explosives as the others had been, and Ravus was able to leverage his sword in the damaged door frame and force it open.

By that time, all of Iris' senses were on full alert, and she kept her back to Ravus while he worked on the door, scanning her gaze in every direction, and dreading the arrival of another monster like the one they had just encountered. She almost let out a sob of relief when he got the door open, and tried to crowd past him to get in.

"Let me clear the room first." pulling her back by her arm, Ravus stepped through the door and flipped on the light switch.

The dim, fluttering lights illuminated the room, showing it to be a chaotic mess of wreckage that appeared to indicate a frantic exodus. Chairs were laying on their backs, as if their occupants had risen suddenly and not bothered to right them; files and papers littered the floor with no sign that anyone had tried to preserve them. Almost all the various control panels looked to have undergone electrical overload, and were scorched and blackened.

Ravus walked the perimeter of the control room cautiously, checking behind every corner, under the work stations, and in the cabinets, finally motioning for Iris to join him when he was satisfied that the room held no threat.

"Do you think we could listen to those audio files in here? Or is the equipment too far gone?" Iris was curious about the only solid clue they had found so far, and was hopeful that it could tell them what they needed to hear so they would be able to leave as soon as possible.

"Yes. If we can find a console free of damage and get power running to it, we should be able to play them back." Ravus was looking each of the control panels over in search of one that appeared to be the least damaged.

Leaving him to his task, Iris began picking up papers at random and flipping through them to see if they contained anything of interest. She found that they mostly consisted of data sheets and reports on the geothermal activity in the area; and for the two minutes she bothered to spend scanning through them, she found that, while this particular mountain range had always experienced regular occurrences of small tremors, there had been a recent uptick in both frequency and intensity.

Soon getting tired of poking through the debris, she wandered over to a control panel on the opposite side of the room to where Ravus was working and grabbed an overturned chair, setting it in front of the panel and sitting down. Leaning over the panel of buttons, Iris began pressing different buttons and switches, trying to see if she could get any kind of response out of the dormant controls. The first several buttons yielded no change, but when she flipped a large, black switch, the screen panel lit up and started running its default diagnostic program.

"Hey Ravus? I think this one's working."

He came over to join her, and after running a few checks of his own, nodded "Yes, it looks like you found the one control panel that seems to still be intact."

As he began working to get the system set up to replay the audio files, Iris scooted her chair over to give him more room, and watched him work, leaning her chin in one hand. For the time being, she felt calmer; a console was something that could be understood and fixed. The machine was the only thing that seemed close to making sense right then, and she was happy to just focus on the task right in front of them instead of speculating on how they would find out what had happened at the base and then get out in one piece.

Iris was roused from her reverie when the console began emitting muffled sounds, like someone adjusting a microphone.

" _Entry number three"_ a man's voice spoke through the speaker, marking the date before continuing _"Testing has begun on subjects four and seven. No results as of yet, but I am optimistic that we will see improvement within the next few treatments."_ The man's voice continued, listing experimental parameters, expected outcomes, and environmental conditions, all without explicitly describing the subjects or the purpose of the study he was describing.

Once again, Iris' mind wandered; despite its monotone sound, something in the scientist's voice reminded her of her father. She could hear the same arrogant self-righteousness that Clarus had whenever he would lecture her on on her behavior, or her future, making it impossible for her to listen for longer than a minute or two. Ravus on the other hand, listened attentively; he seemed to have no trouble paying attention, so Iris didn't feel so bad about zoning out.

Even though the scientist spoke as if the experiment was his own creation, it quickly became apparent that he wasn't really the one in charge. He kept referencing the "guidance" he was receiving from some other source, expressing gratitude that he had been chosen to conduct such important work. It was unclear how much of the study was of his own creation, and how much came from this unnamed source, but it seemed that he was at that point following his own process while accepting input from them.

The recordings continued in much the same fashion; organized chronologically, each subsequent recording more recent than the last, though they still failed to provide more identifying details, and always with the scientist referencing his unseen mentor.

Iris was about to suggest that the files were useless and that they should start looking for other clues, when the recordings began to take a decidedly different tone. The change started small; the scientist's voice was slightly more animated, it was almost imperceptible at first, but became more apparent as the recordings continued. She initially noticed the difference when he mentioned the first results detected. There were muffled sounds at the beginning of the recording, like someone was fumbling with the mic in their hurry.

" _I've done it. After all these months of rigorous work and a parade of failures, I'm finally seeing results!"_ The man's usually concise manner of narration was uncharacteristically excited as he rejoiced over his progress. _"My findings are small, as of now, but momentous,. I can confidently declare that my work will be instrumental in increasing the Empire's power exponentially. When I present my final results, everyone who doubted me will be forced to acknowledge the brilliance of my work."_

Iris rolled her eyes "This guy is ridiculous. He won't even say what he's working on, how is anyone supposed to give him his "due praise" if he doesn't talk about it? Also, besides this silent mentor of his, aren't there other people helping with these experiments? This whole place was built for that kind of thing, why does it sound like he's doing it alone?"

"I suspect that he kept very detailed notes somewhere, but it is unfortunate that he omits them from his audio logs, as they have might offered some insight into what went on here. As far as why he seems to be working alone, I can't say. He strikes me as the type to be arrogant enough to not mention help even if he has it."

"Yeah, he sounds like an ass. I don't think we'll find any notes in all this mess, and I don't remember anything that would resemble that kind of thing where we found the audio files either. So what do we do?"

"There are only a few entries left, surprisingly. We should finish listening, we might find some clue in them yet."

Iris Leaned back in her chair and let herself spin slowly several times while Ravus continued to listen closely to the scientist's account of his trial.

" _Two subjects are responding far more favorably than I had anticipated. Where all the others so far have been unable to withstand the third treatment, these two are on track to receive the fifth. After seven failed attempts, my associate made the excellent point that not all variables had been considered. We found that the method of administration was the fault in an otherwise perfect series. Injection as a form of delivery was too concentrated. By administering the dose in several smaller treatments via inhalation, I have been able to mitigate the harsh side effects, to the point where these two subjects are showing no sign of adverse reaction. When the study is complete, I will present my entire report to the Imperial seat of defense, and they will see that they should have listened to me from the beginning."_

The next two recordings contained similar results and more ranting; the scientist was growing increasingly proud of his work, and very much anticipated throwing it in the faces of all those who had previously failed to have faith in him.

The last and final audio file was somewhat damaged, due to what looked like a sticky substance in its connectors.

"Do you think it'll work?" Iris asked doubtfully.

"There might be some small amount of information intact that we can still use, let's find out."

It took several tries for the file to begin playing, but once it did, the sounds that came through made the hair on the back of Iris' neck stand up.

Low laughter punctuated with intermittent gasping carried over the speakers _"I did it. They have no idea! The demons weren't enough, he needed more. And I gave it to him!"_

The voice barely resembled that of the scientist who had started his documentation methodically, describing his progress in precise detail; now he sounded unhinged and giddy.

Iris glanced at Ravus, looking for any alarm on his face, but his expression was one of concentration as he listened to the scientist's ranting. She shuffled in her seat and glanced around the room apprehensively, as if she expected someone or something to appear in there with them.

" _He showed me everything! It's in the blood, it's always the blood! So easy to taint, so corruptible. He's getting stronger and growing. Once the bridge between human and demon is made, he'll be on his way and he's taking me with him. Everything will burn; the Empire, Lucis, all of it! None of it matters, only propagation."_

The audio began to crackle and skip, emitting high-pitched screeching noises as smoke started to seep from the console.

"Shit." Ravus grabbed a fire extinguisher that lay nearby and doused the console just as it started to spit sparks.

"What the hell was that last part about?" Iris asked, coughing and waving the smoke away from her face "That didn't sound like official research, more like he was doing it in secret and something went wrong. You think his work drove him crazy?"

"It sounds to me like he was led down a path that he didn't entirely understand until it was too late, and something had already taken over his mind." Ravus' frown had deepened, and he was deep in thought "This is going to get more dangerous, Iris, I can feel it. You heard what he said about demons. The magitek soldiers are manufactured from demonspawn, so it stands to reason that whatever research was being conducted probably had something to do with what happened to that soldier we encountered, and it could very well have happened to the rest of the ones that came with us. I don't think it can affect us like that, but we should proceed with extreme caution. Are you willing to keep going?"

Iris shifted her weight nervously "I mean, yeah. This place is getting scarier by the second, but there might still be people in here somewhere, and I wanna know what happened." she set her jaw and squared her shoulders "I'm all in Ravus, I'll see this out with you, no matter how bad it gets."

The corner of his mouth turned up and he gave her a half smile that hinted at a mix of pride and admiration that Iris feel slightly giddy _"There's no way I'm backing out now."_ she thought with determination.

Once Ravus decided that there was nothing left of value in the control room, they continued their search of the base. From that point on, they were on their guard; they'd been cautious before, but now that they knew something sinister might still be lurking within the base, they were hypervigilant, with Iris walking sideways behind Ravus so she could spot anything or anyone that might come up behind them, while Ravus carefully swept every area before entering and allowing her to follow.

The next level down was largely undamaged; the power was just as unstable as the floor preceding it, but there were very few signs of violence besides the odd scorch mark here and there that could be chocked up to a power overload. There was still a curious lack of bodies or evidence of any living thing. Just as they were making their way through the last few rooms, they came across one that was outfitted as a very small but complete laboratory.

"This looks separate and kind of set away from everything else, do you think this is where it all went bad?" Ravus hadn't cleared the room yet, but Iris poked her head around him and was trying to get a look at the various specimens that lined the walls.

Ravus nodded "That is entirely possible. And the array of macabre artifacts are of the same variety that we found in the man's quarters." Seeing that Iris was determined to take a look around, he raised his arm to let her by underneath "It appears the room is safe, feel free to pry to your heart's content."

They searched through the entire room as thoroughly and methodically as they could, finding little else than more gruesome sketches and scribbled notes about the viability of spores.

They had just completed their examination of the room and all of its drawers and cabinets, and Iris was leaning back on her elbows against one of the stainless steel countertops, when she randomly gripped the edge and ran her fingers along underneath it. Feeling her hand touch something that didn't feel like metal, she peeked under the edge, and found a small packet of papers.

"Hey Ravus, got something." she called out to him as she plucked the packet from its hiding place.

He came over to watch over her shoulder as she unfolded the packet, revealing it to be a crude map of the base with references to various significant locations. It ended with a circle around a drawing of a box that, if the schematics were to be trusted, lay several floors below them.

"What do you think it is?" Iris asked, looking up at him.

"I don't know, there are no labels to indicate what resides at the end of the map, but if I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it makes the most sense to assume our scientist left his notes in that location."

"Should we go, then?"

"We really have an obligation to search the whole place-as unpleasant as that may be-so yes, we should start as soon as possible."

Iris was glad that Ravus didn't want to be there any more than she did; as curious as she was about what lay beneath the base, something told her that rewarding her curiosity would be many times worse than letting it lie. Still, as Ravus said, they had an obligation to anyone who might have survived, and to all those who didn't to not let whatever this thing was, get any stronger or get to the outside world.

They soon found their way to the fourth and last level of the base. Again, there was little to indicate what had happened, and no signs of life, but the absence of life was in no way comforting; the place was as quiet as a grave, and the stale air made the atmosphere feel all the more unsettling. Again, they combed through the rooms, looking for the smallest sign or clue of where to go next.

As she followed behind Ravus, Iris was beginning to feel the same sense of dread that had come over her when she first entered the base; to be sure, the whole place made her extremely uncomfortable, but, with the reassurance that Ravus' presence had given her, she had been able shake off that creeping feeling at the back of her neck. Now it was back, and she again had a strong urge to keep glancing over her shoulder, though the fear of what she might see when she did look, fought that urge.

As the two of them rounded a corner to the last area to sweep, Iris clutched the back of Ravus' jacket, an icy chill flowing down her back. There before them, a yawning black hole opened in the middle of the floor, the small bit of hallway left, terminating just beyond it. As her eyes became adjusted to the new level of darkness, she could see a path sloping down in front of them, into the inky blackness below.

"Shit, shit, _shit._ We have to go down there, don't we?" Iris' vise-like grip on Ravus' jacket tightened, every instinct she possessed recoiling at the idea.

"Yes." he answered "If this map is to be believed, this is where the path deviates from the blueprints of the base. If we want to find some clue as to what is going on here, we will have to keep going."

"Hold my hand then?" Iris muttered with a despairing laugh under her breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, just don't wanna go down there." she took a deep breath, half-heartedly wishing she had never caught sight of those beautiful grey eyes that day under the willow tree that day that now seemed like a lifetime ago. She knew she had approached him as part of her plan to get away from long, empty days in the palace, but now it seemed that she'd acted on a whim just to be near him, and in that moment, she mentally kicked herself.

"We can do this, we have each other."

Iris' eyes shot up to meet the serious grey ones looking down at her.

"I know, you're not used to this kind of thing, but you've been incredible so far. I'm glad to have you here, and I'd much rather have you at my side than be alone. Thank you, Iris."

Iris' heart melted. Ravus, as stone faced as he was, was actually telling her he was happy she was with him; that she was valuable to him, and he wanted her there.

"Oh fuck, let's get this over with, I guess."

The unreliable fluorescent lights were of no use to them now; as they set foot on the winding path that seemed to just tunnel endlessly into the earth, the lights hanging from their jackets were again dimmed, as if they were being suppressed by the oppressively dark atmosphere.

The only thing Iris could think to be happy about, was now that they were walking on soil, their footsteps were almost completely silent; in the hallways above, she had been concerned about being snuck up on. That fear was diminished now, but she still had the uncanny feeling of being watched. After several twists and turns, the ceiling started to open up, and Ravus could walk upright. The deeper they went, the more the tunnel they were traversing began to resemble a cavern rather than just a passageway that had been dug in the ground. Along the walls of the cavern, mushrooms and various fungi were starting to pop up more frequently; some of them-the biggest ones of each cluster with the largest caps-emitting a dull, green glow that reminded iris of the bioluminescent algae bloom that she had seen on a visit to Gualdin Quay years back. These mushrooms however, had a dull, almost sickly look to them. The growths themselves seemed to be perfectly healthy, but it was almost like they projected an aura of atrophy and insidious disease.

"I don't like these mushrooms," she muttered "I feel like if I passed out or died down here, they'd eat me."

"You're likely not wrong." Ravus said over his shoulder from his place ahead of her "Contrary to popular opinion, fungi are not plants, and don't live off of sunlight, water and nutrients in the ar and soil like plants. They're not animals either; more like a strange amalgamation of both. They reproduce by spores instead of seeds"

" _Spores_?" Iris was disgusted "Those float through the air, don't they?!" quelling the rising panic in her voice, Iris stopped and dropped to one knee, letting the backpack fall from her shoulders and then rummaging through her gear.

"What are you doing?"

"Fuck that, I'm not breathing the seeds of these gross things!" she pulled a handkerchief from her backpack and quickly fashioned it into a face mask that could cover her mouth and nose.

Ravus watched her with some concern "Actually, spores are not seeds, but yes they are carried in the air, are you saying you think these fungi had something to do with all of this?"

"I don't care either way! I just know that they creep me out and I don't want their 'spores' growing in my lungs."

Iris half expected him to roll his eyes, but he stood there looking at her for a moment, thinking it over, before digging in his pocket, and pulling out a handkerchief of his own, and tying it around his mouth and nose like Iris had.

"I suppose we can't be too careful." he said as he donned the extra protection.

The glowing fungi became more populous the deeper they went, the mounds they were clustered on varying in size, and seeming to get larger, suggesting the tunnel led far deeper into the earth, with truly humongous specimens living there.

"The map suggests that there is a small path diverging from this one up ahead." Ravus had taken the map from Iris, and was looking it over by the weak light his flashlight emitted.

Sure enough, a narrow path branched off from the one they were traversing. They almost missed it in the dark, the entrance was obscured by a boulder, and the dull light from the fungi was completely absent, making it look like a small void in the darkness. Ravus had to hunch down to get through the opening, and the tunnel beyond wasn't much better, its narrowness making it impossible for him to walk without scraping his shoulders on either side.

"Maybe I should have come by myself," Iris whispered from behind him, unable to see past the bulk of his form in the narrow tunnel "you can barely move down here."

"I think we've let you go on ahead by yourself enough by this point. And besides, Aranea would kill me if I did. I don't doubt that she'll have quite a few choice words already, once she finds out what this supposedly simple mission has turned into."

Iris couldn't help but smile at the idea, knowing he was right. As much as knew Ravus wasn't to blame for the situation they found themselves in, and didn't want him to bear Aranea's wrath, it made her feel good to know that the woman cared so much about her safety.

A few twists and turns later, the path terminated in a cavern just large enough for Ravus to be able to stand to his full height and stretch his cramping shoulders, which he did with a sigh of relief.

"What exactly are we looking for in here?" Iris asked as she stepped into the cave behind him.

"The map doesn't say, but I am assuming a container of some kind, hopefully containing the notes our scientist left behind."

Their search of the cavern didn't take long, and Ravus soon found a small briefcase buried in the earth of one of the walls, after dislodging a small boulder. Inspection of the contents of the case revealed only more drawings of mutated humanoid figures, as well as a scribbled note that looked to have been crumpled up and smoothed out many times, and offered little explanation of what the case might have held, and only served to cement the idea that the man who wrote it had indeed lost his mind.

" _Water...best method of administration...injection too obvious, they don't trust me...humans missing vital link...blood not enough...need a new approach...master getting impatient...I'll pay for this if I fail…"_

The note ran off into a stream of incoherence, and Ravus set it back down into the case. "I suppose we can assume that the water isn't safe to drink, then." he commented, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Iris was surprised that he was able to find some brevity in the face of the disappointment of not finding the scientist's notes, but she appreciated it. "Alright, let's keep going." she said, turning to head back to the main path "I don't think we're going to find anything else in here."

"Let me go ahead." Ravus moved to pass Iris, but the space was so small that they couldn't both fit through the opening.

Rolling her eyes, Iris tried to push past him "We just came from out there, I'm pretty sure the mushrooms haven't sprouted legs and gathered around the entrance."

"It doesn't matter if there was nothing there before, it's my job to keep you safe, and that is what I will do. Please move."

For some reason, Iris found herself wanting to resist his orders, and stubbornly stayed where she was, unwilling to let him by "I do need to learn to take care of myself you know. I don't think letting me go first for once would do much harm."

He looked at her over the handkerchief covering his mouth, as exasperated look in his eyes "Do we have to argue this point now, Iris? It's really not the time."

Iris was about to launch into a whispered rant about how she was perfectly capable of making to the entrance of a tunnel without getting herself killed, and reminding him about how she had impressed him in the past, but checked herself. Ravus was right, it wasn't the time for that. In fact, it was probably the worst time to argue about such things, and she begrudgingly acknowledged that to herself as she stepped aside to let him pass.

The small tunnel made it difficult for Ravus to maneuver his way around Iris, forcing her to shrink herself against the side to let him pass, though it was still a tight fit, and they were wedged up against each other as they struggled to trade places. It was right then that Iris thanked the gods it was so dark, because she could tell by the heat that had sprung to her cheeks, that she was blushing. Chastising herself for once again getting distracted when there were other, more important, things to worry about, Iris walked along behind Ravus trying to focus on the task ahead and not let any one of the many various emotions she was feeling get the better of her.

The deeper they went into the earth, the more encompassing the eerie aura of death lurking madness became, and Iris could feel it wearing on her; at every step she was glancing over her shoulder for another, expecting an attack, or glancing down at her feet to make sure she wasn't stepping on any fungi, terrified that if she did, she would trigger it to release a cloud of its spores.

Despite the paranoia, some small part of Iris was still happy to be there. If she hadn't come along, it would have been Ravus alone, and she even though she knew how strong he was, she didn't want to think about what would have happened if his soldiers had turned on him without any backup. The idea of being able to help keep him safe, even in a small capacity, made her feel warm inside. And then when he had told her that he was glad to have her with him; Iris felt her cheeks flush at the thought. Maybe he was starting to enjoy her company; maybe he wanted her with him for more than an extra hand. Her heart swelled at the idea, and she did nothing to deter it.

With such thoughts occupying her mind, Iris let her attention wander from her immediate surroundings, and neglected to watch her feet. The next thing she knew, she was tumbling head over feet, having caught her toe on on a rock sticking out of the ground. Instinctively reaching out, she expected to crash into Ravus, who was just a few paces ahead of her. Instead, the ground gave out beneath her, and she rolled down a passageway that had opened up when she connected with the side of the tunnel.

When she finally stopped falling, Iris groaned, knowing immediately that she would be covered in bruises the next day. Rolling over, she flipped on the light hanging from her jacket, and looked around; it appeared that she had just knocked out some loose earth that had been used to cover up the small passage, but her heart sank as it was made clear that it was too high for her to get back out of. Investigating further, she discovered several pathways leading off from the cavern she had found herself in, all of them seeming identical. Clutching at her neck for the handkerchief to pull up over her mouth, Iris's stress increased when she found that she had lost it in her fall.

"How am I supposed to find my way out of here now?" she wondered aloud, the realization that she was now all alone, causing the old dread to start sneaking up her back again. As she looked around wildly for any sign of which path might lead back to Ravus, she saw something small and cylindrical protruding from a mound of dark soil that had several large, well-fed looking mushrooms growing out of it. Crawling over to get a closer look, Iris had the feeling that she knew what the object was, even though her brain refused to recognize it. Reaching her hand out, she was just about to touch it, when it twitched, making her recoil, a hand clapped over her mouth in horrified comprehension.

"Ravus! RAVUS!" her scream echoed through the caverns "Ravus, _please!_ I found someone and they're still alive!"


	18. Chapter 18

When her desperate shouts received no answer, Iris crawled over to the mound and began furiously digging around the finger that was sticking out of the soil.

"Hang on, I'm getting you out! Can you hear me?"

There was no answer, and Iris grew more and more frantic as she dug, uncovering enough of the hand to pull the arm free from the soft earth. When she got to the shoulder, she slid her hand over it and up the neck, trying to get the soil away from the person's face as quickly as possible. When she was finally able to uncover the man's face, he looked deathly pale, and she would have thought he was dead if not for the flickering movements of his lips, as if he were whispering.

"Wake up!" Iris patted his cheeks, trying to rouse him "Wake up, you're okay!" She grabbed him by the chin and shook him, but got no response, he just continued to move his his lips in the same slight way, completely oblivious to all his surroundings.

Unsure of what else to do, Iris reached out and lifted the lid of one of his eyes, hoping that the man was just deeply asleep. Leaning in, she held her light close to get a good look, her stomach clenching, and a lump forming in her throat as she gazed into the sightless, bluish-grey irises that stared straight through her.

Something in the back of her mind told Iris that it was no use trying to get through to the man, but she violently rejected the idea, and went back to digging the dirt away from his body. When she uncovered his chest, she felt a strange mixture of nausea and rage, that surged through her and threatened to tear itself from her body in one way or another, be it either a scream or vomiting. Her brain had deliberately avoided connecting the dots, but now the truth was unavoidable: the fat, sickly looking fungi were growing up out of the man's lower torso and stomach, eating him alive in his trance-like state.

With a half shriek of revulsion, Iris seized the largest mushroom and ripped it from the man's body, hurling it across the cavern. "No, no, no, no, NO!" Iris spat the words out as she yanked each of the stalks from his flesh and threw it as far away as she could. The stale air began to smell of mold and decay as she continued feverishly with her work, knowing that she shouldn't be breathing the unclean air, but being unable to stop.

When she had finished her gruesome task, Iris sank to her knees, heaving with empty sobs, a pile of the vile fungi on the ground across the cavern from where she sat. Looking at the result, Iris saw that the cavity left behind in the man's torso was full of rot and decay, a result of the mushroom's ravenous appetite. Crawling on her hands and knees back to his head, Iris watched as the man struggled through his last breaths, and finally fell silent.

Sitting there beside his lifeless form for a moment with her arms clasped around her legs Iris buried her face in her knees and sobbed quietly, letting out all the emotions of what had just happened. She hadn't been able to save the man, and although she knew there was nothing that she could have done to change his fate, she still felt angry at her own helplessness, and grieved for the pain she wasn't able spare him.

As she sorted through her feelings, Iris felt an overwhelming sense of rage creeping up from her gut, a rage that stemmed from her own helplessness, and the grotesqueness of the death she had just witnessed. She didn't know the nature of the fungi, where they came from or what their purpose was, but she did know that they were evil, and she wouldn't feel relief until she destroyed as many as she could. Getting to her feet, she retrieved something from her pack and walked over to the pile of mushroom stalks she had torn from the man's body. Picking up a piece of decaying wood, Iris flicked open her lighter and lit the wood with the flame before dropping it onto the pile of mushrooms.

The fungi lit up faster than Iris expected, and the flames were soon devouring them. As the fire touched them, Iris felt a dull ache in her head and heard a faint, high pitched sound that almost almost resembled an otherworldly screaming. Clenching her jaw, she ignored the sound and watched with morbid satisfaction as the mushrooms shriveled under the heat of the flames.

After making sure the deceased man had a proper burial, Iris picked up her pack and hoisted it onto her shoulders, having developed a new plan; she was sure that she would find Ravus eventually, but for now, all she cared about was doing as much damage as she could the the fungi living in the caverns. She knew she would likely come across many other people like the man she had just found, both living and dead, but she was determined to bring them justice and take revenge on the creatures that had consumed them. It never occurred to her to wonder how the dead man had come to be so far down in the bowels of the earth, but at that point, she was past asking questions.

Unsure of where to go next, Iris wavered between the two equally dismal tunnels that led from the cavern she had found herself in. _"I guess if I'm going to kill as many of these things as I can, it doesn't really matter which one I take."_ she thought as she considered her options. With a firm nod, she set off down one of the paths, an attitude of grim conviction in her step, knowing exactly what she had to do.

As she made her way deeper into the earth, she felt the anger simmering deep within her start to grow; each mound of fungi she encountered represented a needlessly lost life, and her loathing for the carnivorous creatures soon overwhelmed her mind. She was beginning to enjoy her task of ripping them from the soil and lighting them ablaze. Iris unconsciously gritted her teeth together as she felt the flabby grey flesh between her fingers, wanting to tear them apart with her bare hands, but despite their sickly grey color, the fungi had the consistency of leather, and were incredibly resistant to physical damage, only vulnerable to the flames that devoured them.

After the first man she came across, Iris no longer dug into the mounds of dirt beneath the mushrooms; she knew what lay there, and had no desire to find out if the people beneath them were already dead, nor did she want to witness their last moments if they weren't. Once was enough, and she knew that she image of the man, eyes blind to his surroundings and struggling to take his last breaths, would never be erased from her mind.

Instead, she focused all her attention on the way the fire raced through the mushrooms, as if they were made of dry grass. Every time she lit a new pile of the fungi on fire, she heard the same high-pitched shrieking noise, and each time it became louder and less easy to ignore. But Iris was strong, and she persevered, pushing the sound as far away as she could until it was no longer at the forefront of her consciousness. And yet it was still there, lingering in a way that one might think it had perhaps taken deeper root than when it was more obvious.

As she progressed through the maze of tunnels, the lack of beasts aside from the mushrooms did nothing to dissuade Iris' rapidly growing suspicion that there were larger enemies lurking nearby. Her unfamiliarity with the place and nature of its inhabitants made her worry that she would be at a disadvantage upon meeting whatever other abominations might attack her, and she didn't trust her fists to be enough to protect herself. Remembering the way the wine-like appendages had leaped toward her from the Magitek soldier's head emphasized the need of being able to maintain distance, especially now that she had been separated from Ravus.

 _Ravus._ Iris wondered how long they had been apart. It felt like ages, and as capable a warrior as she knew him to be, she shuddered at the idea of him navigating the tunnels without her there to watch his back. She'd lost the security of his presence, and, as much as she hated to admit it, she felt her composure unraveling and wished he was there to reassure her and bring her back to reality.

" _I have to keep my shit together until I find him. Once we meet back up, everything will be fine and if I kill all these things, we'll be able to leave."_ This thought cemented Iris' determination, and she pressed on, letting her anger seethe and drive her forward.

Iris' concern over her lack of a weapon continued to bother her; she hadn't yet needed one, but she couldn't shake the idea that she would feel much more secure if she had something other than her fists to protect herself with. Not only that, but ripping the mushrooms out of the ground grew steadily less satisfying, while the idea of bludgeoning them with anything she could get her hands on evolved from a simple preference, to an obsessive need.

As luck would have it, Iris soon stumbled upon a mound that appeared older than the rest; the fungi growing out of it were the largest she had encountered, and had their own little colonies of tiny growths popping up around their trunks. Unsure of how to tackle these much larger opponents, Iris started with the least of the aged mushrooms. She first tried gripping it with both hands and rending it from the earth like she had with all the others before it, but she couldn't make it budge, indicating that its roots ran much deeper than the others so far. But Iris was not one to be dissuaded easily; she continued her attack, seizing the fungus by its bell, and yanking with all her strength, throwing her back into the task and twisting as hard as she could. Just when she was about to stop and simply light the whole mound on fire, there was a popping sound of the thin roots breaking as she finally ripped it out of the ground. She had exerted such force, that she was unprepared when the mushroom broke free, and went sprawling on her back, her body hitting the spongy soil floor with a soft thud, the fungus she had unseated rolling away to the adjacent wall.

As Iris gathered her wits and jumped to her feet, she caught sight of the cavity the mushroom had left behind, and approached the mound to get a better look. This mound was different from the others in ways beyond the mature fungi that grew on it. Instead of revealing the rotting flesh of a human torso, all that was left was an array of dull, grey colored bones. Digging around the lower part of the skeleton, Iris found it to be completely intact, and sent up a silent 'thank you' to the heavens. She then continued digging until she unearthed the body's lower extremities, at which point, she pulled out both of its femurs and weighed them in her hands, inspecting their integrity. Finding them to her satisfaction, she twirled them in the air several times, getting a feel for the way it felt to wield them, before turning her attention back to her foes.

With a glint of fierce joy in her eye, Iris attacked her task enthusiastically, the bones in her hands turning to efficient weapons as they tore through the mushrooms' spongy flesh. Iris grinned to herself as she reduced her enemies' bodies to lumpy pulp, pausing only to set them on fire before moving on to the next.

When it seemed like the subterranean caverns held no end of twists and turns, Iris came to a widening in the tunnel she had been clearing that appeared to be completely devoid of fungi mounds. Venturing further, she found that the path opened into a large cavern, so pitch black that her feeble light might as well have gone out.

A steady pressure had been building in Iris' head for some time, but it was just then that she actually registered it as painful. Bringing the heel of her hand to her temple, she did her best to rub it away and ignore it, determined to remain on task, no matter the discomfort she had to endure.

Instinctively feeling an aversion to walking straight into the cavern in front of her, Iris instead shrank against its wall, making herself as small as possible, and inched her way around the perimeter, her eyes staring into the blackness around her. She had made it a significant distance into the dark space, when she decided to pause for a bit and reassess her plan, and was wracking her brain for a way to illuminate the void, when two faint points of reddish light appeared in front of her. it was impossible to judge the distance between herself and the lights, and Iris was just considering the idea of leaving her the stability of the rock wall behind her and approaching the light, when two other identical lights appeared beside the first pair, and then another and another, until there were half a dozen pairs of the lights standing out in the darkness.

Iris' stomach threatened to drop from her body as the realization of what she was looking at struck her like a freight train. She'd seen those eerie lights before, staring out of the helmets worn by the magitek soldiers.

The stroke of fear that had initially flooded over Iris was soon drowned out by the same disgusted anger that had enveloped her when she was destroying the carnivorous fungi not long before. These things-they weren't people, she was confident in that-seemed to have be vulnerable to being overtaken by whatever force lurked in the bowels of the earth; they didn't die, nor were they consumed by the mushrooms. Instead, it seemed that they became enhanced and were either under the control of that sinister force, or had gained some semblance of sentience in the process. Iris didn't care about that process, her thoughts were only occupied by the need to destroy anything that resembled the evil that had taken root there.

Clenching her hands around her makeshift weapons, Iris gritted her teeth together, and dropped into a partial crouching stance, readying herself to launch an attack at the soldiers before her. She didn't doubt that their glowing eyes were fixed on her, but she felt somehow unconcerned by that knowledge, as well as a bit of exhilaration at finally being able to fight something.

The red eyes had begun to draw closer to each other, and were starting to glow a little brighter, and Iris was just shifting her weight to her back foot in preparation for a burst of speed in hurling herself at them, when she heard the crackling sound of electricity, and saw a bolt of lightning shoot from her periphery and strike one of the soldiers, dimly illuminating the ones gathered around it as the bluish light surged through its body.

Whirling around, Iris was greeted by the sight of Ravus, his large form illuminated by the light on his jacket, emerging from a nearby tunnel, his arm already poised to hurl another lightning spell at their foes. "Ravus!" she shouted his name, her voice full of relief and excitement at seeing him again.

"Iris! Are you alright?" Ravus moved to stand beside her, not taking his eyes off the soldiers, who still had their gaze fixed on the two of them.

"I'm fine, actually! Really glad to see you though. Let's kill these things now, 'kay?"

He nodded and stowed the lightning spell away, and gripped his sword, his jaw set in determination "We should get rid of these ones before the rest of the troop show up, I have a feeling they aren't far away."

Iris agreed as she took one of her makeshift torches out of her pack and lit it "This'll help." she said as she threw it to the ground at the soldier's feet.

Though taking heavy lightning damage, the soldier that had taken the brunt of Ravus' spell, struggled to its feet, the dim torchlight exaggerating its shambling, erratic movements. As the firelight flared, it revealed the true extent of the soldiers' mutations; one had a thick, flabby protrusion, with the same lifeless grey coloring as the countless fungi Iris had already encountered, growing out from its split helmet. Another soldier appeared to have bubble shaped growths bursting from the armor on its torso; the growths were a sickly mustard yellow and were dotted with black pores that reminded Iris of spider's eyes, and made her grit her teeth together in disgust. The others were all equally deformed, and Iris was glad to have her makeshift weapons so she wouldn't have to touch them.

As she and Ravus threw themselves into the task of eradicating the deformed soldiers, Iris felt exhilaration begin to hum in her blood; she was fighting at his side once again, and remembered how exciting it was. All the fear the had felt while investigating the facility above them was forgotten, now that they had an actual battle on their hands.

With a powerful swing of his sword, Ravus lopped off the arm of a soldier who was reaching out to grab Iris, while her attention was focused on bringing down another that had begun advancing on her with its weapon raised. As she fought, Iris found her headache returning, and with each blow she inflicted, it seemed to grow worse, but she was determined to keep going, and ground her teeth together, pouring all her focus into killing the abominations before her. Although they moved more slowly than usual, the soldiers were incredibly strong, and it took some time and effort for the two to dispatch them. By the time they were done, Ravus - his mouth still covered with his bandana - was showing signs of fatigue, and took a moment to lean against a nearby wall to catch his breath.

Besides her headache - which had disappeared not long after the battle was over - Iris wasn't tired at all, and went to stand next to Ravus, wrapping her arms around one of his and leaning her head against him like she always did with Gladio.

"There should still be about ten soldiers left, if none were killed by their mutations," Ravus commented as he rested "we can't let our guard down. Where is your mask?"

"It's nice to see you, too." Iris grumbled, frowning a little, though she still held on to him "I lost it when we got separated, but I'm fine. Where did you end up?"

"The hole you fell down closed up right after you disappeared, so I continued down any path that seemed to take me in the direction you went, but I ended up at a subterranean lake, and killed two other soldiers there, before I found my way to you. It was mere coincidence that I came out right here just as you were facing these ones."

"I've been torching all the mushrooms I came across. Did you know that there are people under those mounds and that these things are _eating_ them? They make weird screeching noises when they die, too." She shuddered at the memory as she spoke "We need to just get out of here."

Ravus was eyeing her out of the corner of his eye as she recounted her experience, a look of concern under the bandana that concealed the lower portion of his face "Here." he fished another bandana out of his pocket and held it out to her "You shouldn't be breathing this air any more than you already have."

Iris waved him off "Nah, I've been fine, I don't need it."

"I must insist, Iris, Please don't continue to expose yourself to whatever is down here."

She sighed but took the bandana and tied it around her face, though it was more to pacify him than because she was concerned about the air. "Where to now?"

Ravus looked around the cavern "I'm surprised the sound from our fight didn't bring any of the other soldiers around. There very well might not be any of them left."

"Did you run into anything besides the soldiers and the mushrooms? Because I didn't, but I felt like I was being watched the whole time."

He shook his head "No, I found no other living things. But since we seem to only find more questions the farther we go, I do think we should leave."

"Thank the gods!-" Iris was about to launch into a rant about how badly she wanted to get out of there, Ravus raised a hand to silence her.

"Do you hear that?" he asked in whispered tones in reply to Iris' questioning look

Holding her breath, Iris listened hard, but heard nothing for the first few moments. Turning to Ravus, she was about to ask what he had heard, when she caught the faintest sound of distant chuckling intermingling with soft murmuring. A shiver ran down her back as she listened; something about that low laughter was instantly familiar, and she slipped both hands around the bones she had stuck in her belt, pulling them free and gripping them tightly as the sound seemed to draw closer.

Ravus had also begun to move toward the sound, and motioned for Iris to stay behind him as they approached it together, both with an idea of what it meant, though neither voiced their suspicions. Drawing closer, they started to hear shuffling footsteps that grew louder, indicating that the source of the giggling and muttering was also coming in their direction, and they would soon meet. Rounding a curve in the tunnel, they were confronted with the face belonging to the voice that had confirmed their suspicions of deeper goings-on within the facility above them, though what stood before them only bore the vaguest signs of its previous humanity. Shoulders stooped and rounded, it shambled along with its face turned to the ground, its arms swinging awkwardly as it moved, all the while giggling and muttering incoherently.

At first sight of the creature, Iris' hand flew instinctively to her mouth in both horror and disgust, recognizing the smell that hung in the air around it as the same that she smelled while ripping the mushrooms from their decaying feasts, though this scent was stronger, and reminded her of the smell of rotting meat. The foul odor wasn't the only thing that made her recoil; mushroom bells sprouted at odd angles from all over the man's body, turning him into a walking meal for the carnivorous fungi. The sight turned Iris' stomach, and she once again felt the same rage boiling up inside of her that she had experienced during her solo crusade against the things. Gripping her makeshift weapons in her fists, she instinctively started to raise them, her eyes glued to the abomination before her.

Before Iris could make another move, a hand was laid over hers, and Ravus took one of the bones from her hand, glancing down at her with a slight shake of his head. Instead of answering her questioning frown, he turned back to the diseased man and placed the end of the bone firmly against his chest, halting him in his tracks. The only response he received was a chuckle and a feeble flapping of a hand, and then silence. Lifting the bone, Ravus slipped the end of it under the man's chin and tipped his head up and shined his light on his face. Opaque, sightless eyes stared into the light, the stream of laughter and chatter continuing uninterrupted, as if he was completely unaware of their existence.

Iris' anger continued to mount as she recognized the same eyes she saw in the man she watched take his last breaths several hours earlier, a victim of the same infection, though she didn't care to question the reason why the scientist was still living.

"He did this." She hissed to Ravus under her breath, her clenched teeth making her words come out like a growl "He made this happen somehow, I know it. They all died because of him, and you can't tell me he didn't know what he was doing." As she spoke, she once again started to raise her hand, weapon held tightly, eyes dark with intent, and again, Ravus put out his hand to stop her.

"And what would you do about it, Iris?" he whispered back, eyes searching her face deep with concern "Would you kill this man in cold blood? It seems he is already paying for his sins, don't you think?"

As Iris and Ravus had their exchange, the scientist turned away from them and started shambling off in the other direction, muttering the first coherent words since they discovered him "I was chosen, you know? All the rest, they didn't want it, they didn't understand. But I accepted willingly and I was blessed with ascendance!"

Iris fixed her eyes to the man who was the reason she had been forced to watch another man die; every voice in her head was screaming at her to ignore Ravus' words, shove his hand aside, and take retribution into her own hands, telling her that despite his condition, this man had not suffered nearly enough, and she was the only one who could ensure that he received the punishment he so rightly deserved.

"Iris. _Iris._ "

Ravus' voice broke through the red that was encompassing her mind. Glancing up, she saw a genuine worry in his gaze that gave her pause, making her hesitate for a moment.

"Iris, are you alright? You seem...angrier than normal. What happened?"

She blinked and looked away, her thoughts clearing a bit, and relaxed her grip on the bone she had raised, letting her arm hang at her side "I'm fine. I just hate that this guy caused so much death and he seems perfectly happy to be down here rotting away. Shouldn't he suffer, too?"

"That's not for us to decide." He answered, his hand moving to rest on her shoulder "I can't let you kill him."

"Why not?" her eyes flashed to his, again brimming with rage "You're not my dad or brother, I don't owe you anything! Least of all my obedience."

"There may be a day when you will have to take another life, but as long as I can help it, I will keep you from having to bear that burden." his grip on her shoulder had tightened to the point of almost being painful, the cool intensity of his gaze matching the fire in hers "Now," he continued, still holding eye contact "we've long overstayed our welcome and should leave. I think I know how to get us out of here, but I need to make sure that you will follow and obey my orders exactly. Can you do that, Iris?"

Iris took a deep breath and regained mastery of her feelings, knowing he was right, and wanting him to stop looking at her with that icy stare of his. Finally, she nodded and stuck the bone back into her belt "Fine. Lead the way." As Ravus turned to go, Iris stared after the scientist as he hobbled the opposite way down the tunnel, wishing she could have some kind of closure, the idea of allowing the man to live out his days rankling deeply with her.

As always seems to be the case, their exit path progressed much more rapidly than the way getting there, and it seemed like no time before they arrived back at a familiar junction of tunnels.

"Which way? Iris asked "I remember this area, but I didn't pay attention to where we came from."

"Don't worry, I marked it." Ravus bent down and picked up an empty potion canister that sat just inside a tunnel opening "We still have a long way to go, but we're making progress."

Iris wiped the back of her hand across her forehead "It feels like it took days for us to get down here. And I can't shake the feeling that we aren't going to get out. Not without some kind of fight, anyway."

"That is entirely possible, and we should keep our guard up as we continue. How are you feeling?"

Iris frowned "I'm fine, why do you keep asking me that?"

"I just need to make sure. Let's go."

Continuing on their path, with Ravus leading the way, they cautiously made the trek through the silent darkness. Though Iris felt grateful to be back with Ravus, she was still far from at ease. The constant feeling at the back of her neck that they were being watched had come back in full force, and she couldn't keep herself from periodically glancing over her shoulder, each time expecting to see something coming after them. It was one such time that she had looked back, that in doing so, she bumped into Ravus, who had come to a halt at another widening of the tunnel.

"Iris," his whisper carried an undertone of urgency that made her tense the moment she heard it "Iris, this may be a problem."

Peering around him into the oppressive darkness ahead of them, she at first didn't detect anything, but as she continued to look, she was able to make out a mass of shambling figures in the cavern just ahead of them.

"Are those the rest of them?" she asked, referencing the remaining magitek soldiers, while keeping her own voice as low as possible.

"So it appears."

Iris could sense Ravus tightening his grip on the sword he hadn't put away since they entered the base an untold while before.

"It doesn't look like there's a way around them." she observed as she began slowly drawing her makeshift weapons from her belt, her heartbeat quickening with excitement "Where do you want me?"

"We will skirt the edge of the cavern until they notice us. If we're lucky, we may be able to get past them without much of a fight." Still leading the way, he pressed himself against the cave wall and began inching along as quietly as he possibly could.

Iris was of a different mind altogether, and found it irritating that they were going to leave the soldiers there without neutralizing the threat they posed, and let it rankle her as they continued their delicate escape. Grinding her teeth together in frustration as she followed him, she muttered "Why not just kill them all? They can't be allowed to exist in the state they're in, who knows what they'll do."

Her annoyance had caused her to raise her voice more than she intended, and Ravus halted immediately, holding up his hand to signal for silence, but it was too late. As he turned to answer her, they were both instantly aware of the gaze from several glowing eyes turned in their direction. The tiny pinpoints of light seemed to multiply, until they had ceased all motion, and were each gazing directly at the pair.

"They're not moving. I know they see us, why aren't they reacting?" Iris' hoarse whisper broke the silence, but they eyes staring out of the darkness didn't so much as waver in response.

"I don't know," Ravus answered "they aren't being aggressive like the last group, perhaps they won't try to stop us." As he spoke, he motioned for her to follow, and continued toward the tunnel opposite the one they entered from.

At first, it appeared that the creatures wouldn't interfere, but as the pair drew closer to their destination, the soldiers, as if with one mind, lurched toward the tunnel opening, blocking their path.

"What now?" They had halted as the soldiers moved, and Iris, who was still standing slightly behind Ravus, was no longer attempting to whisper.

Without answering, Ravus took a step toward the tunnel, a move that was instantly mirrored by the magitek, who all took a shambling step forward, making their purpose clear.

"It seems someone doesn't want us to leave." Ravus spoke over his shoulder to Iris, while keeping his gaze fixed on the soldiers.

"Like hell we're staying here!" Iris almost shouted as she moved to pass him, brandishing her weapons.

Ravus caught her by the arm and hauled her back with no small resistance on her part. "Calm down, Iris." his voice was almost a hiss "All ten of them are there, and while they aren't the most formidable enemies on their own, a group this size poses great risk. Let's see if we can get out of an all-out battle before we charge in unprepared."

Iris struggled in his iron grip, her desperation to get out of the caverns and away from the nightmare they'd stumbled on, causing her to want nothing more than to hurl herself onto any obstacle that stood in the way "Let go of me! If we cut them down, there won't be anything keeping us down here!"

Their ensuing scuffle caused them both to shift focus away from the soldiers for a moment, and when Ravus glanced up, he grabbed Iris' shoulders with both hands and yanked her back, shoving her behind him. The soldiers had begun shuffling slowly toward them, and almost had them backed into one of the deeper recesses of the cave. Ravus was lifting his sword in preparation to defend them, when he took a step back, and he and Iris both almost tripped over a low lip in the floor that marked an obscure opening that had been hidden because it went off at a slant, making it almost invisible against the cave walls. Placing Iris in front of him, Ravus put himself between her and the still advancing magitek, their only option left being to see where the new tunnel would take them.

The passage wound more tightly than any they had occurred thus far, and it snaked into the earth in a way that made it impossible to retain any sense of direction. As it went, the terrain changed; the walls turned from almost solid rock, to boulders and then soil, with long roots protruding from the walls and hanging from the roof of the tunnel.

As they continued down this new path, Iris felt her paranoia growing to an overwhelming height; her head was throbbing, and her heart was pounding in her chest, making it impossible to focus on where they were going, Ravus' hand on her shoulder, the only guiding force she had left.

Eventually the path widened again, forming a large chamber, though the extent of its size was not readily determinable, because the roots hanging down through the earth overhead had grown so thick in areas, that large parts of the cavern were completely hidden from view. The air was damp and warm, and carried a heavy scent of musky decay, stronger there than either of them had noticed before, though Iris' powers of observation were greatly hindered by then.

As the pair cautiously pushed through the curtains of hanging roots, the sound of shuffling boots made it obvious that their pursuers were still coming after them, though the soldiers were the least of Iris' concern; for some time, she had gotten the feeling that ideas and emotions not of her own conception were intruding on the edges of her consciousness. Now, the deeper they went into the cave, the stronger those thoughts and feelings became, taking on a life of their own until she could no longer tell the difference between her own inner voice and that of the invading influence.

" _Why does Ravus have to hold onto me so tightly?"_ she thought _"He treats me like a child and it's not fair! He acts like he knows so much more about life than I do, and like it's his job to make sure I make good decisions. I should have killed that damn scientist when I had the chance. Ravus talks a big game, but he probably wouldn't have been able to stop me if I had just gone for it."_ She was still allowing Ravus to steer her through the overgrowth, but her anger simmered just beneath the surface, and she was keeping an eye out for any opportunity to spin out of his grasp _"If those creatures find us, I won't be so merciful. I'll kill every single one if it means getting out of here, and I mean that."_

While Iris was having her inner monologue, Ravus guided them through a particularly dense area of roots, and came out in a sort of clearing. The walls were thick with a dull green moss that glowed softly in the same way as the fungi in the upper tunnels, and small streams of water were running out from beneath a cluster of boulders that were so covered with lichen, that the place seemed incredibly old. He crouched down and started to inspect the boulders that covered the source of the water, analyzing the strength of the ground in that area.

Iris' attention was drawn to the darkest corner of the cave; while she couldn't make out any recognizable shapes in the inky blackness, she had an undeniable sense that something was moving within the shadows. She could feel it looking at her, and as she stared back, she could have sworn she saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes light up for a second before disappearing again. Glancing down at Ravus, still focused on the rocks in front of him, she could tell that he hadn't seen what she had. She was about to call out to him, when she saw a pair of the unmistakable reddish eyes of the magitek appear from the same direction they had entered from. As she watched, several others soon came into view, and it was clear that they had been found. Without calling to Ravus and asking what to do, Iris let her paranoia and ire rush over her, instead choosing to attack them head on, throwing herself at the magitek in a frenzy of rage.

"Iris!" she heard Ravus shout from somewhere in the back of her head "Iris stop, we can't waste time on them!"

His orders fell on deaf ears, as she whirled left and right, striking in every direction, each of her blows landing hard against both the magitek armor. With a sickening crunch, Iris brought one of her bones in an upward arc that connected hard with the jaw of a soldier whose mutations had burst through the seams of its neck armor. The soldier swayed slightly at the impact, but remained upright, and raised its weapon to strike at her. Instead of responding defensively and feeling fear at the impending attack, the action only served to stoke Iris' rage, and with a roar, she launched herself at her enemy.

" _Yessss young human...let your anger overtake you! Tear them apart, make them pay for your suffering."_

Some part of Iris knew that the words didn't belong to her, but the voice she heard it in was her own, and she no longer wanted to fight the savage aggression welling up inside of her. She wanted to let it free, let it overtake her and help her slaughter every one of the abominations before her. As she struck, every connecting blow brought her a flash of ferocious joy that built on the last until she was letting out a shriek of laughter with each one, her awareness of her surroundings completely gone. She couldn't even hear Ravus' shouting; nothing mattered beyond the destruction she was raining down.

It was as if a red mist had settled over Iris, and continued to grow thicker and heavier by the minute; all she could perceive were shadows moving around her and the feeling of her weapons coming in contact with armor and flesh. She wasn't even aware of the darkness overtaking her, and she soon sank beneath it, letting it bear her away to places unknown.

The next thing Iris was aware of, was dappled sunlight playing over her closed eyes, and a feeling of overwhelming warmth. She could tell she was in a very comfortable bed, and that it was at least mid morning. Not wanting to open her eyes, she shifted slightly and was immediately aware of an arm wrapped around her shoulders, making her eyes flash open to see who she was in bed with.

"Cindy! Is it really you? How did I get here?!"

The blonde groaned sleepily and answered by muttering several incomprehensible sentences and tightening her arms around Iris as she settled deeper into the soft bedding.

Iris wanted to wake her and ask her what had happened, how had she escaped from under the base, and Ravus! Where was Ravus? But an overwhelming sleepiness crept over her and she was forced to put her plans aside and drift off once more.

"Do you think she'll be alright? She's been asleep for days, should we contact her father?"

"No. The guy Cid sent is the best, and he said she's going to be fine. You, on the other hand, look terrible. You haven't been sleeping at all, have you?"

As the conversation continued, Iris recognized Ravus and Aranea's voices; from the sound of it, Aranea was giving the former a dressing down for not taking care of himself, and Ravus was offering a poor excuse, saying that he was fine and never needed much sleep to begin with. Opening her eyes, Iris saw that she was now alone in the bed, and it appeared to be early evening outside. As she pulled herself to a sitting position, she groaned; every muscle in her body protested her movement, and she almost let herself fall back down, but willed each limb to move, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and slowly getting to her feet. She picked up a blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders as she held onto the foot of the bed to steady herself, and walked shakily to the door.

Aranea and Ravus stood in the kitchen while Cindy was tending to something in a pot on the stove; the two soldiers were staring at each other, seeming to be engaged in a battle of wills of sorts, with neither showing signs of giving in.

"What's going on?" Iris croaked "Ravus, how did we get here?"

At the sound of her voice, they all spun in her direction and began talking at once, demanding why she was up, and ordering her back to bed.

Instead of obeying, Iris waved a hand at them all as if it would shut them up, and made her way to the kitchen table, pulling out a chair and easing herself into it.

"I'm fine." she finally said as she leaned her head in one of her hands "But I could eat a whole dualhorn, do you guys have anything to eat?"

They all let out a relieved sigh, with Aranea and Cindy laughing and coming over to hug her tightly.

"We were so worried about you, I'm so glad you're okay!" Cindy said as she patted her head and went back to the stove "I'll whip something up for you in two minutes!"

Aranea stayed with Iris and sank down into a chair next to her "You know I'm going to have to kick your ass, right? Ravus told me everything and I already dealt with him. Once you're recovered, it's your turn." her tone was rough but her eyes twinkled, and Iris could read the expression of relief on her face.

"I'd like to hear what happened too, actually." Iris said, looking from Aranea to Ravus "I don't remember a lot of the last part, and I have no idea how we got out of it."

Ravus came over to join them, sitting down at the table across from Iris and Aranea. As he did so, Iris realized what Aranea had been talking about: there were deep bluish circles under his eyes, and he sat down slowly, the exhaustion clear in every part of how he carried himself. He was about to speak when Cindy returned with a steaming mug that she handed to Iris.

"Hot cocoa. I'll have a snack for you too, but drink up for now, I've got to get as much into you as I can."

Iris took the mug gratefully and drank deeply, letting the warm, sweet drink flow down her throat and warm her up as it went. Cindy fussed with her hair while she drank, and made sure she finished it, before taking the mug and going back to the stove. Iris turned back and was about to speak to Ravus again, when she saw that his head had fallen back, the deep rise and fall of his chest indicating that he was gone to the world.

"Better let him rest."

Aranea waved her hand at the slumbering man "He's barely had a wink of sleep since he brought you here. Idiot insisted on being around for everything, from when he set you down to when the doctor got here, and through everything after that. He'll tell you what happened when he wakes up."

Iris nodded and stood up; pulling the blanket from her shoulders, she draped it over Ravus' sleeping form "Something tells me I wouldn't be here if not for him. He deserves his rest.

**Thank you to the guest who left the sweetest comment on the last chapter, and the first one I've gotten on this fic in almost 6 months! You don't know how much I appreciate it! I dearly love this story and I'm always working on it, but I'm super busy rn and I've felt so bad about neglecting Iris. That review made my whole week and I can't say thank you enough!


	19. Chapter 19

It wasn't until the next day that Iris got the chance to talk to Ravus about what had happened after she lost consciousness. She felt a little shy about bringing it up at first; she couldn't remember anything about how they'd gotten out of the base, and part of her worried that she might have made it hard for him to get her out of there.

She found Ravus in the kitchen with Aranea; they were sitting at the counter while Cindy stood at the stove flipping pancakes, and seemed to be discussing their plans going forward.

"There she is!" Aranea called out as she caught sight of Iris through the doorway. She got up from her seat and went over to throw an arm around Iris' shoulders, "Glad you're up. Now go talk to Ravus." The last sentence was in Iris' ear as she ruffled her hair before letting her go and stepping back, giving her an encouraging smile and wink, and turning to slip her arms around Cindy's waist, making her laugh as she nuzzled her face into the back of her neck.

Iris walked over to where Ravus was sipping his coffee, and climbed onto the stool next to him, noticing that he looked significantly more rested than he had the night before: the dark circles under his eyes were almost gone, and he seemed at ease.

As Iris took her place beside him, Ravus picked up an empty coffee mug and poured a cup, wordlessly sliding it over to her as he continued to enjoy his own.

Iris took the cup in both hands gratefully and breathed deep, letting her eyes fall closed as she enjoyed its aroma.

"How are you feeling?"

Opening her eyes, Iris saw Ravus looking at her over the rim of his own mug, and felt her anxiety over approaching him melt away.

"Really good, actually. And all thanks to you. Thank you for getting me out of there. And yeah, I know you'd never leave anyone in that place, but you had my back and looked out for me. I'm pretty sure I owe you my life, and I just want you to know that I'm really grateful."

As soon as she had started talking, the words came tumbling out over each other, her desire to make him understand how she felt making her rush to say everything that was on her mind all at once, but Ravus listened politely until she was done, and simply nodded.

"I'm glad we made it out safely as well. I was very worried about you for a while, and I almost thought I had lost you on several occasions, but you're strong and you fought your way out of whatever hold that thing had on you. You're right that I'd never leave anyone behind, but I especially wouldn't leave you. I'm personally responsible for your safety and I take that very seriously."

Iris stared down at the coffee mug in her hands, willing away the blushing smile that threatened to cross her face and give her feelings away. Despite the circumstances, it made her feel giddy to hear Ravus say that he cared about what happened to her. Taking a deep breath, she centered herself, and straightened her expression before looking up at him again, "That means a lot to me, thank you. I wanted to ask though…" she paused, a bit of the fear coming back and making her hesitate "what happened after we made it to that thing's den? All I remember is roots hanging from the ceiling, and then the magitek soldiers got there. Something was lurking in the shadows toward the back of the cave, but I can't pinpoint what it was. Did we kill it?"

"I'm afraid that whatever that creature was- and I think it is safe to conclude that it was responsible for what happened at the base- it is very likely still living. It was clear to me for a while before we got to that point that something had gotten a hold of you, but I wasn't sure how bad it was until then." Ravus brought his mug to his lips again and drained the last of his coffee, taking a moment to think before going back to his story "It was like you'd let your temper get the best of you, but to the most extreme degree, far worse than you are actually capable of. You started screaming that you were going to kill all of them and tear them to pieces; I finally had to physically drag you out of the place, because you'd lost all reason and couldn't even hear me anymore."

Iris shivered, her forehead creasing as her worry over her actions deepened "Did I hurt you, Ravus?" her voice was serious, and there was a slight tremble in it, indicating her fear of the answer.

"No."

She let out the breath she'd been holding, her shoulders sagging with relief.

"It was like you couldn't even tell I was there anymore, you were so consumed with your goal of killing the soldiers. At one point, there was a lull in the battle, and you stopped to stare into the shadows at the back of the cave. You had stopped screaming, and you were muttering to yourself; it almost sounded like you were having a conversation, but I couldn't hear the other side of it."

Iris shuddered again, not enjoying the mental image of what it must have looked like: her talking to herself like a madperson, unreachable by even Ravus, who could normally command her attention at a word. "I'm sorry." she said finally. "I should have been more careful about keeping my mask on- I can only assume that my carelessness was how it got to me- you tried to tell me, and I didn't listen."

"It's not your fault. I think you lost it when you fell down the tunnel, and with being in such close proximity to all those smaller mushrooms, it's possible the mask might not have even been effective."

"That's nice of you," she answered, propping her elbow on the countertop and leaning her head on one hand "but I'm sure there's some way I could have prevented it. How did you get both of us out of there, anyway? I'm sure I didn't make it easy on you, and we were so far down in the earth, it must have taken hours."

"Actually, it was much easier getting out than in. I had deduced that the last cavern we found ourselves in, was right beneath one of the base's lower level mess halls. One of the rock walls of the cave was more porous than the others, and the water seeping through at different areas, told me that it would be our best option for a path to getting out. I had taken several of the explosives from one of the doors we disarmed, and I used it to blow a hole in the rock that let me climb right into the mess hall. It was a bit difficult making you go too- you were still screaming about killing, but by that time, had turned your attention to the thing in the shadows, and were just about to go in after it when I dragged you out- but we made it, and I armed the self-destruct devices on every floor as we went. The base is now just a crater in the forest."

Iris shivered and wrapped her arms around herself "Wow. I don't remember any of that. It feels like all of that happened so long ago, and the harder I try to remember, the less clear it all gets."

"That's probably for the best." Ravus got up from his seat, "Whatever it was that had its hold over you was clearly drawing on your anger and aggression; I'm sure it would be a very unpleasant memory if you were able to remember it. But I have to be getting back to the Capitol, the ceasefire talks are taking place in a matter of days, and I've been away long enough."

"Can I come with you?" Iris hopped down from her chair too "I should be going back myself, I told my dad a week, and it's already been a day longer."

"No, that wouldn't be a good idea. You and I should do our best to not be seen in any kind of proximity to each other, the political climate is far too dangerous." He had assumed his usual brusk manner as he said it, and turned to Aranea and Cindy, thanking them for their hospitality. "I'm glad you're alright Iris, perhaps we can continue your training once this is all over and our governments are more stable."

He left without further comment, and Iris stood there with a frown, a little thrown by his aloof attitude and the fact that she hadn't even gotten the chance to protest.

"Hey, fix that face."

Iris looked up to find Aranea staring at her pointedly.

"He's doing what he has to. You had enough of an adventure already; you need to hang back a little here. Also remember that he isn't on the Lucian's side. Ravus is firmly in the Nifleheim camp, so don't get your hopes up about him changing his mind about how he feels about the royals."

Her face was serious as she spoke, and Iris could tell she was worried about something.

"I know he has issues with Noct, Aranea, I'm not silly enough to think that they would magically be friends…"

"No, but I think you still don't understand the situation; Ravus has his duty to take care of Luna, and he takes that very seriously, it's all he cares about, and he will do anything he has to in order to keep her safe. That includes attacking Lucis if need be. Yeah, he cares about you, and I really believe that he would never do anything to hurt you, but you are not Lucis in his mind. Just because you matter to him, doesn't mean your country does."

Iris frowned, but didn't answer; she hadn't considered things from that perspective. In fact, she'd conveniently 'forgotten' that they were on opposite sides of a war, and that hadn't changed just because they survived some shadow horror together. She shrugged off the uncomfortable reality of the situation, and put on a smile, "I guess you're right. I just like to think of him as my friend, and I haven't thought about what that actually means. Thanks, Aranea."

The other woman nodded sympathetically and patted her on the back "Ravus had your bike sent to Cindy's garage. I'll take you over there so you can get back to the family house and figure out what you want to do from there. But first, eat. You've got a busy day ahead of you."

The ride out to Hammerhead was uneventful, and Iris was glad to be on her way home.

Aranea made sure to make Iris promise to check in with her often until she made it back to Insomnia, and they hugged tightly as they said their goodbyes.

Cindy came out to send Iris off, and in true Cindy fashion, had already added several upgrades to her motorcycle.

"You make sure you come visit me, you hear?" she demanded as she threw her arms around Iris and squeezed her hard "I've already gotten used to having a little sister, so she better not make herself scarce!"

Iris laughed and assured her that they would get tired of her for how often she would come over. The three of them hugged one more time, and she was off, sad to leave them, but a little relieved to be able to be alone and finally sort through all the emotions she had kept inside for the past several days.

One of the things that occupied the forefront of Iris' thoughts as she rode home was what had been going through her head after her brain during the last few hours of her mission with Ravus; he had told her what he could, but he had no way of knowing what had driven her to act the way she did, or what reason there could be for the creature to try to use her like that.

 _em"What if it's still in my head?"/em_ Iris wondered, the idea making her shudder em _"And what if it comes back somehow?"/em_ the thought created an instant knot of terror in her chest, and she had to pull over on the side of the road to calm the panic that had risen in her heart at the idea of again being taken over by that same rage. She hadn't tried to hurt Ravus while under its influence, but she also had no trust in herself if she lost conscious control.

Forcing her fears down deep, she decided that such a thing was unacceptable, and that she would rather die than let herself hurt anyone she cared about em _"That can't happen. I won't let it."/em_ she told herself. Comforted by her resolve, Iris got back on her bike and continued toward home, though it didn't really feel like home to her, when everyone who made it a home was gone.

The drive wasn't a long one, and Iris was soon pulling up the long driveway to the estate, a smile crossing her lips as she passed the spot where she and Ravus had fought the red giant. It amazed her how much had happened in the few short days that passed between then and now; she felt like she had grown quite a bit closer Ravus since then, and it made her happy to remember how he treated her like a valued team member instead of a nuisance.

Iris' mood started to fall at the thought of being alone at home again, until she pulled up in front of the house and saw a black crate waiting on the doorstep. Her curiosity made her forget her sad feelings for the moment, and she hopped off her bike to inspect the package. The crate resembled those she had often seen soldiers of both the Empire and Lucis carrying, the kind that usually held weapons. The lock only had space for a fingerprint, and it's screen had only one word displayed on it's screen: Iris. Something told her that this was Ravus' doing, and Iris could feel her excitement growing as she pressed her thumb to the scanner, waiting for a moment until it beeped its acceptance and the lock popped open. As she yanked the lid open, Iris gasped: the crate contained a beautiful pair of chakrams, each about the size of the Regalia's steering wheel. The handles of the weapons were bound in supple black leather, while the curving silver blades shone brightly in the afternoon sun.

Iris grasped her new weapons in each of her hands, giving them a few practice swings, and finding them to be perfectly balanced and fitted exactly for her, the grips fitting her hands as if molded for them. Completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness that went into the design of the weapons, which were clearly custom made for her, Iris sat down on the steps to open the note that had been set on top of the chakrams. Her instincts had been correct, the gift was indeed from Ravus, as was the note that accompanied it:

"Iris. I'm sorry I was not able to escort you home, but I'm needed back in the Crown City. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of having these chakrams made for you. You shouldn't go into battle without a strong weapon at your side, and I was mistaken for allowing you to do so for our mission. It is an error that I do not intend to repeat. I've asked Aranea to give you several pointers on how to properly use these weapons, and I will try to make time to give you at least one lesson myself. I've been monitoring your fighting style, and I felt that these blades would suit you best. They are calibrated to your gauntlets, so you can summon them at will. If you disagree or have another type of weapon in mind that you would prefer to use, please tell me so I can have an adequate version built for you. You make a valuable partner, and I look forward to working with you again.

Regards,

-Ravus"

"Oh wow!" Iris couldn't help but express her amazement out loud as she read the note "I can't believe he had these made for me!" putting the weapons back in their case, she grabbed it and the rest of her things and jogged up to her room, her bad mood entirely dispelled.

The rest of the afternoon and evening went by quickly for Iris; she was so excited about her gift, that she threw herself into familiarizing herself with its proportions, practicing different moves she'd seen Ignis perform with his daggers, reasoning that there had to be some kind of carryover with dual-wielding blades.

Iris was putting her gear away at the end of the day, when she slapped her forehead in realization "Crap! I didn't even tell him thank you!" hastily snatching her phone out of her pocket, she tapped out her enthusiastic gratitude:

"Ravus! Thnk you so much! The chakrams r beautiful! Idk what I can do to thank you, but I can't wait to get back to Insomnia, hopefully you'll have time to show me how to use them. I promise to bring dessert!"

She was just about to put her phone away again, when she considered for a minute em _"I haven't heard from dad since I left. I've been gone longer than I said I would be, but he hasn't bothered to ask why. Control freak that he is, he'd want to know where I am at every minute, I wonder what's got his attention?"/em_ On a whim, Iris scrolled to her father's contact and sent him a quick message as well:

"Hey dad. Sorry I haven't checked in and I've been home longer than I planned. I'll head back to the Crown City tomorrow."

She was, again, just about to stuff her phone back in her pocket when it buzzed. Thinking it was Ravus, she yanked it back out and flipped the screen on, only for her face to fall at seeing the name, and then frown at its message:

"It would be better if you just stayed home for now, Iris. I can't spare the manpower to look after you, and I'm sure you have better things to do there. I will let you know when it would be convenient for you to return, but at this point, just wait until I send for you."

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Iris growled, glaring at the screen "You're just gonna leave me here while so much important shit is happening?!" She thought for a moment, her jaw clenching several times as she considered her options "Nope. He's not going to limit me anymore; I'm going back. I don't care what he says, I'll figure out an excuse, but I'm going back no matter what."

Her phone buzzed again, this time it was Ravus' name that flashed across the screen:

"I'm pleased that you like them. Perhaps after the treaty talks are over, it will be easier to train together. Meanwhile, as much as I would enjoy sharing your dessert, I think it best that we keep our contact to a minimum. Tensions are higher in the palace in anticipation of the conclave, and I would hate to add to it or make your life more difficult by us being seen together. Take care for now, Iris."

Despite being disappointed in being told they had to avoid each other, Iris couldn't help but smile "He totally misses me!"she squealed, hugging herself "But I guess that answers the question of why dad wants me to stay away. He's probably worried about distractions and thinks I'm going to get in the way somehow." She tightened her fist in response to the anger that welled up in her heart at the dismissiveness of her father. But Iris wasn't one to dwell on the downside of things; she had made up her mind on her next move, and she wasn't going to let anything put a damper on her excitement "I'd better get packed." she said with a grin.

Iris was packed and ready to go the next morning. It was going to be a longer trip than usual; she had decided that it wouldn't be wise to let Clarus know that she had access to her own transportation, so her plan was to leave her motorcycle in Hammerhead, and call for a car to take her from there. She didn't love all the sneaking around, but she knew it was for the better, and she was looking forward to seeing Cindy for a little while. em _"Maybe she'll have time for some coffee and we can chat. I can't wait to show her my chakrams!"/em_

With her excitement already high, she threw a leg over the seat of the bike and donned her helmet before turning the key, a smile crossing her face as the engine roared to life. She didn't even look back as she sped down the drive.

The Hammerhead garage was bustling with activity when Iris arrived; news of the anticipated peace treaty had long been circling, and everyone wanted to be in the Crown City to witness it. She spotted Cindy over by the gas pumps, and waved when they made eye contact. The mechanic waved back and jerked her head toward the garage back office, signaling Iris to meet her there.

"Did you hear?" she said when they were sitting at her desk, coffee in hand and the door closed "The talks have been moved up, they're all meeting today."

"What?!" Iris nearly sent their drinks flying as she jumped to her feet "No, I haven't heard anything. Are you sure? I should go now!"

"Wait up." Cindy had her by the arm and plopped back in her seat in as much time as it had taken Iris to start for the door. "It's still early, they're not supposed to happen until this evening, and you still have to wait for your car to get here. In the meantime, just relax and tell me whatever it was you were so keen to talk about in your text."

Iris took a deep breath and let the tension out of her muscles, nodding as she picked up her cup again "You're right, I don't know why I feel like I em _have/em_ to be there, it's not like I have any influence on the outcome." she took a sip, and then almost spit it out "Oh yeah! Ravus gave me my own weapon!" Snatching up her bag, she flipped it open and took out the chakrams, handling them almost reverently as she passed them to Cindy for inspection, "Or, 'weapon _s'"_ she corrected herself, bursting with pride when the mechanic acknowledged the exquisite craftsmanship.

"They sure are a couple of beauties," Cindy agreed "you can tell he really put a lot of thought into the design." She turned to Iris with a smirk "So when's the wedding?"

"WHAT?!" Iris' face was instantly crimson as she snatched the weapons back "What do you mean? You don't think he em _meant/em_ anything by this, do you?"

The panic in her eyes and flush in her cheeks made Cindy double over laughing, putting her own beverage at risk as she slammed her fist down on the desk next to it in her mirth "You should see your face!" she gasped, "You really need to work on that, or even someone as oblivious as Ravus will figure you out right away!" she continued chuckling, her laughter provoked again by the murderous look Iris shot in her direction.

"That was cruel, Cindy," Iris sniffed, her voice taking on deeply offended tone "you know how much I like him, it's not fair to toy with my emotions like that."

Cindy was dabbing away tears from the corners of her eyes, and doing her best to catch her breath while trying to keep a straight face, though she kept dissolving into giggles every time she looked at Iris' wounded expression "I couldn't help it," she finally got out, "it was too easy, and your _face_ , I thought you were going to faint!"

Iris let out an annoyed huff and crossed her arms "Are you done?" she asked finally, when Cindy's hilarity had calmed a bit.

"Yes," came she breathless answer "and I'm sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you, Iris." she got up from her seat and came over to where Iris was sitting, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"Ugh, get off!" Iris struggled weakly in her embrace, exaggerating her annoyance "Whatever, it's not like it matters to me em _that much/em_ , you just caught me by surprise."

Cindy continued to hug her tighter, ignoring her protests "You're my baby sister too, ya know, I gotta keep you on your toes!"

After a few more minutes of playful tussling, they finally parted, both all smiles and laughing again. Just as Iris was about to ask where Aranea was that day, Cindy checked her phone and hopped to her feet "Your ride's here!"

Walking out to the car, arms slung around each other's shoulders, the girls agreed to keep in touch, and meet again once the treaty was finished.

"I'll keep that bike of yours in tip top shape, so don't you worry about that," Cindy told her with a wink "you just take care of yourself, alright?"

Iris shot her a grin as she ducked into the back seat "Thanks, Cindy! Tell Aranea hi for me whenever you see her!"

As the car pulled out of the parking lot and headed for the Crown City, Iris settled into her seat, excited to be there when peace was declared between the two nations, and hoping deep down in her heart that Ravus and his sister would find their own calm amidst the storm.


End file.
